"Let's Grab Coffee" & Two Degrees of Separation
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 12:04PM Kate I am a Southern girl and always will be at heart. I came to Seattle three and a half years ago because I fell in love with the city and because I knew it was the perfect spot for me. Everything from the water to the lay of the land and architecture turned me on, and there are few places in the country that could match my professional needs as well.
I came here knowing one person and with my three year old startup in tow. It was a complicated move due to the business and distance, but I knew it was the best decision I could make. And I stand by it today.
The South and the Pacific Northwest could not be more different socially. We pride ourselves on social grace and hospitality in the South. This means big welcomes, large social circles, and merry occasions filled with traditions that go far back in our history. We are raised to trust others until proven otherwise; so, we welcome new neighbors with pies and new guests to our homes with open arms.
The business world is similar in the South. Most people are anxious to help out a new business and introductions come easy. If an introduction is made, you make arrangements to meet the new person promptly. There is an understanding that the person making the introduction saw a beneficial purpose for the two new parties to meet. Chances are that you have several mutual connections, and it was only a matter of time before you met anyway. And if nothing else, you have strengthened the relationship with the person making the introduction.
While Southerners are not exempt from uncomfortable relationship issues, the element of social grace is so deep in our blood that we generally know how to avoid awkward situations by always being friendly, trusting one another, and delicately changing directions if we need to later.
I did not expect the same from Seattle, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a friendly culture. In less than six months of networking, I was further surprised to figure out how connected the city is- especially the tech community. There seems to be only two degrees of separation between yourself and any other person. Clearly, Seattle has a people culture too.
But wait. Is it?
Seattle is remarkably and intoxicatingly ambitious and smart. In a way that I have not found in my time in any other city. While there is plenty of creativity here, it is more technical and applied smarts. And with that is the coming together of personality types that are a very small percentage of the population in other geographic regions.
What I am getting at is that things work differently here socially. People are friendly, yet will a stranger meet you for coffee if you ask them? Maybe – it depends. If someone writes an introduction email for you, what are the chances you will meet the other person? I would say 70/30 – depending on several factors.
See, people in Seattle have high expectations of you. The proof is in your actions- not in your words. And I think there is something valuable to this. It keeps us at our best; it pushes us to take risk and to be genuine; and, in a round about way, it creates relationships that are equal in effort.
What does this mean for companies marketing in Seattle? You better be at the top of your game in terms of understanding how this city works.
Thoughts? Share them with me in the comments section. And get ready. I am preparing for a Seattle launch soon.
Thank you to my Southern family for understanding my call to live in Seattle and for supporting it. And thank you to my Seattle family for making the city feel more like home.
Reader Comments (2)
I agree with the 70/30 comment. Seattle's business culture demands outcomes from coffees, lunches and even introductory phone calls. I don't think I've ever gone to coffee or lunch with someone during my business day without thinking something concrete would come of it. I work in the non-profit sector and one thing I've noticed that separates Seattle from other cities is how socially conscious businesses are. It's hard to delineate between who works for-profit and who works non-profit.
Sounds like I'd love it in the south - "We are raised to trust others until proven otherwise", too bad it's really hot out there. Being new to Sea, I am glad you're suggesting it's a friendly place; trusting others is something I usually do, and in the NE I found people weren't all that trustworthy. Good luck on the launch!