We still love Rudy, even if the decision to push forward the nomination of Bernard Kerik has turned into a huge fiasco. For the Bush Administration, the problem may have been focusing exclusively on formal networks during the recruiting process, and not enough on unintentional networks. As Cliff Allen explains, it's important to understand how these unintentional networks ("the network of people who know us and talk to others about their experiences without us even knowing about it") can impact reputation. In Kerik's case, the unintentional network did a lot of talking, effectively dooming his nomination.

With that in mind, Allen shares some quick tips for anyone hoping to avoid a Bernard Kerik-like experience: "Do your best to make sure that the people you interact with have a positive experience, or at least feel that you treated them fairly under the circumstances. Also, stay in contact with people in your network and make sure they know they can call on you when they need help, information, or a referral to one of your contacts. You never know when you'll be called upon to be part of someone's unintentional network to help create an opportunity for someone in your network."