“How did you land the gig?”

It sounds like a common question. Or is it?

Last week, I was catching up with a friend. As we riffed with the gentle ease of two old-timers’ Tuesday tennis tune-up, I mentioned I’d just landed a new project.

It was small, unremarkable, nothing to shout about. So I nudged the news over the net: light, lilting, loose-wristed .

Back came that question, gently enough. “How did you land the gig?”

I padded back a mumbling, single line response.

She arrowed a cross-court zinger: “No, how did you land it?”

And so a story unfurled: of a music festival, to a podcast, and a visit to a European city via a reshared Instagram post. There was a cold email, the former colleague, and a random workshop invitation. There was an 18 month pause, an unexpected LinkedIn message, and several steps more.

As I recounted it back, we both noticed valuable themes, ideas, and reminders emerging.

And even when I’d shared the story in full, there was more to explore.

I should probably get the tennis shoes back on.

So, how did you land the gig?