Karen Dillon | Inner strength isn't everything. When times are tough, resilient leaders look outward for support.

Scott MacGregor, founder of Madison, Connecticutbased talent strategy company SomethingNew, is one of the best networkers I've ever met. But not in the way you might think.

- Karen Dillon

Nearly a decade ago, Scott and I chatted briefly before I spoke about my book How Will You Measure Your Life? at a conference he was attending. A few months later, Scott reached out: He had decided to leave his job as a chief revenue officer to start his own company-something partly inspired by my talk. I couldn't help with his business, but we connected over the struggles and joys he would face as an entrepreneur.

We've stayed in touch in the years since, periodically checking in as we navigate personal and professional challenges. Scott has had his share of both. "I've always kind of thought of adversity as a gift, but that's often hard to: recognize in the moment," he says. "There are always those moments when you are like, 'Why am I doing this?!""

Fortunately, Scott has many people, in addition to me, he can turn to when he's feeling down or celebrate with when he's had a win. That's because he's deliberately worked to connect with a wide range of people who can help him find resilience when he needs it. In short, he has what I call a resilience network.