Everyone says the same thing: “Expand your network.” 

It sounds smart. Strategic. Like proximity to people equals power. But more often, it equals noise. Distraction. Obligation without outcome. 

Because your growth isn’t bottlenecked by reach. It’s bottlenecked by resonance. 

Networking is a numbers game. Alliance is a signal game. 

Enemy Phrase: “Expand your network” 

New Phrase: “Signal alliance” 

The Contradiction 

You’re told to collect contacts. But contact isn’t connection. 

The average founder’s inbox is full of LinkedIn ghosts. Their phone is bloated with names they don’t trust. Their calendar’s booked with calls that go nowhere. 

And still they think: I need more people. 

No. You need more alignment. 

Scene 

A client once told me he was “finally building a powerful network.” 

He had 2,000 new connections and no new collaborators. Every meeting ended with “Let’s circle back.” None ever did. 

What he’d built wasn’t a network. It was a digital ghost town. 

The Truth 

Power doesn’t come from access. It comes from attunement. 

“Expand your network” trains you to value scale. Signal alliance teaches you to value signal. It means you don’t seek more connections, you filter for the few that can amplify your direction. 

These aren’t social favors. They’re shared frequencies. 

Language Installation 

“Expand your network” is the lazy gospel of LinkedIn hustle culture. It builds illusion: the belief that accumulation is advancement. 

Signal alliance is precision. It’s war room over cocktail hour. It’s choosing resonance over reach. 

Say it when you’re tempted to say yes to the next intro call. Ask: Is this a signal or a siphon? 

Evidence 

Studies in organizational behavior show that high-performing teams don’t have the widest networks, they have the most aligned micro-nodes. In other words, trust + clarity > volume + access. 

And in every revolution? Only a handful of people actually moved the needle. 

CTA 

Forget the next 10 coffee chats. 

Pick three people who already get it. Who don’t just share your goals, but mirror your ethos. 

Make those alliances hotter, clearer, louder. 

The rest? That’s static.