A Network of Telepathy
A major focus for me as I pull together MattChapman², the HR search firm and its associated network, is the importance of intimately knowing the talent connected to it. When I first started ChapmanCG, I didn’t really want to maintain a traditional database. I’ve always enjoyed memory recall and memorising facts; it’s just how my brain works and it has always been that way.
As I build this "2.0" version, the baseline for anyone in this collective is me knowing your birthday. I truly think birthdays and anniversaries are special. (Mine is 17 July, in case you’re wondering; I was born in the middle of winter.) Anniversaries can take many forms, and while I usually think of weddings or relationships, the list is endless. What I love about knowing these dates is that they create a natural, human connection point.
Of course, the pinnacle of any connection is a physical catch-up. This is why human interactions are always special to me, and I try to approach them with as much intention and presence as possible. But when you have a globally dispersed network, like most of us do, virtual tools become key. We know that social media, texts, WhatsApps, calls, and videos help amplify and maintain those links. However, the greatest depth always comes when we see each other in person.
I’ve always had a theory that "telepathy" is what allows us to send and receive thoughts from others, moving beyond physical meetings or digital messages. It’s that implied understanding and value connection - the simple power of "just knowing." I believe that in this modern age, we need to trust this kind of telepathy to stay truly connected.
My home, Telepathy, is named after this phenomenon. It’s an ode to the idea that a network can be connected by thought and shared values, and that in this story, Telepathy is a physical place. It may sound a bit "woo-woo" to some, but I genuinely believe in it.
Back when ChapmanCG was in its infancy and the HR network was small, I knew everyone personally and remembered a great deal about every HR leader. As it grew, I had to scale a team to help me look after a growing collective. Nodes and processes would send and receive information, which eventually made its way back to me. This created a central talent structure that allowed me to stay knowledgeable about the whole network.
Fast forward to today, as I create MattChapman², I’m employing those same principles to stay connected to HR leaders and my broader network. I want to know as much as possible so I can spot those unusual connections between people, understand their individual journeys, and keep the energy of the network flowing. It is a network connected through telepathy: built on common values, mutual understanding, and a shared purpose.