Bizcast: David Homan and Noah Askin on their book, “Orchestrating Connections”, in conversation with Subhanjan Sarkar

David Homan David Homan is the founder and CEO of Orchestrated Connecting, a global community of connectors; Orchestrated Opportunities, an impact-focused advisory firm; and SOAR CONNECT, a start-up focused on the strength of authentic relationships. He hosts a podcast called Orchestrated, focused on developing relationship value, is an active classical composer, and is a proud father of two. From middle-class beginnings as the son of a college professor father and nonprofit-focused mother, he has built a network reaching into the most private and incredible circles globally while maintaining a code of purposeful community building called Orchestrated Connecting. Noah Askin Noah Askin is an Associate Professor of Organisation and Management at UC-Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, where he also serves as Faculty Director of their Leadership Development Institute. An award-winning teacher and researcher, Noah is an expert in organisational dynamics, leadership, and culture, focusing on the informal networks of communication and connection that drive organisational life. Noah’s work has garnered him recognition on the Thinkers 50 Radar list and has been covered by various publications, including the BBC, The Economist, Rolling Stone, NPR, Vox, and Forbes. He lives with his family in Southern California. Orchestrating Connections In this episode, David Homan and Noah Askin talk about their book, Orchestrating Connections. The authors believe that meaningful relationships emerge when people are connected through shared values rather than credentials, status, or transactional goals. They propose five principles, namely curiosity, diversity, vulnerability, generosity, and gratitude, that lead to transformative communities. Noah Askin approaches relationships through sociology and network science. While many people study the structure of networks, his interest was in what actually creates meaningful connections. As David was already running a community, Noah started interviewing members to get a sense of the on-the-ground reality of connections. He realised that many of the most connected individuals identified as introverts rather than extroverts, and traced their empathy to formative challenges earlier in life. These findings challenged conventional assumptions about networking, leading the authors to distinguish between “networking for personal success” and “community building to help others”. Networking is focused on personal success and exchange, while community is oriented toward support, learning, development, and collective growth. Strong communities emerge when people are guided by a clear sense of purpose and create environments where relationships become a long-term source of mutual growth rather than short-term transactions. Trust and reciprocity, rather than transactions, become the foundation.   Run time – 01:17:38 mins. Links for Subhanjan  [email protected]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar For Authors: https://orchestrating connection.com https://noahaskin.com LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/noahaskin LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/davidhoman