I Don't Recommend Getting Hacked as a Networking Strategy

A few weeks ago, I received what appeared to be an invitation to a friend's party.

Everything looked legitimate.

The email address was correct. The graphics looked professional. The website was an exact duplicate of the real invitation platform. Nothing about it raised a red flag.

So I clicked.

And followed the instructions.

You know where this is going.

Within hours, the scammers had gained access to my account and started sending the same invitation to people in my contacts. Suddenly, friends, colleagues, and family members were reaching out asking, "Did you send this?"

My stomach dropped.

The next 24 hours were spent changing passwords, reviewing accounts, notifying contacts, and making sure every security setting I could find was turned on. Not exactly how I had planned to spend my day.

But something unexpected happened.

People started responding.

Not just to tell me the email was fake, but to say hello.

Friends I hadn't talked to in years reached out. Former colleagues checked in. People I hadn't connected with for a long time suddenly appeared in my inbox.

One message led to another. We caught up on careers, families, retirement plans, and life in general.

What started as a frustrating phishing scam unexpectedly became a reunion tour.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I wouldn't recommend getting hacked as a networking strategy.

But it reminded me of something important:

Sometimes good things can emerge from situations we never would have chosen.

The experience also taught me another lesson.

I will never complain about two-step verification again.

For years, I viewed it as an inconvenience. One more code. One more step. One more interruption when I was trying to get something done.

But when this happened, that extra layer of protection became my best friend.

Two-step verification protected access to my financial accounts, personal information, and other sensitive systems. What could have become a much larger problem ended up being manageable because those safeguards were already in place.

So if you're still putting off enabling two-factor authentication, consider this your friendly nudge.

And if you receive a party invitation from me?

Feel free to double-check before clicking.

You never know—it might be a scam.

Or it might just be my latest attempt to reconnect with old friends.

Leadership Lesson: Every setback contains a choice. We can focus exclusively on the frustration, or we can look for the unexpected opportunity hiding inside it. Sometimes the lemonade isn't obvious at first—but it's often there if we're willing to look.