One of the enduring lessons of net work is the importance of diversity. This applies to the composition of networks, which need to have sufficient variety to support the cross-fertilization of ideas and values, as well as to our personal networks. Rob Cross, in his work at the Network Roundtable at the University of Virginia has has homed in on this latter aspect by developing software that helps individuals understand the composition of their personal networks.

I was reminded of this in a recent column by Washington Post columnist David Broder, “What Presidents Must Know,” in which Broder recounted a conversation that he had had with Bill Bradley during Bradley’s run for the presidency in 2000. Apparently, Bradley had turned down an offer to be Michael Dukakis‘ running mate in the 1998 election, stating, “You shouldn’t run for vice president unless you thought you were ready to be president.”

He first said the “presidents must know” other countries from the inside out, so you could be able to understand the pressures on their leaders when you need to negotiate with them.

Second, he said:

…a president should know the leadership elites in this country — not just in politics but in business, the professions, academia, labor — well enough that he would know where to go to staff his administration. And, he said, you needed to know the policy community well enough to be able to navigate for useful advice.

He did his net work, and felt ready in 2000. Broder sums up the outcome: “Bradley turned out to have his shortcomings as a campaigner, but his prescription for a president still seems right.”