Smart people need to understand that Good Networking is NOT measured in
the number of people that you can reach out to or the number of people who will
return your calls.
Good Networking is being able to do something for someone who you would like to do something…for you!
Example: A friend of mine, who is a physician, asked me to spend some time with a friend of his, who was leaving a large family owned business and now looking to re-enter the corporate world after working for his own family for 15 years. The individual sent me emails, called to ask me questions, wanted to go to lunch and really was interested in seeing who I could introduce him to this guy was very quickly becoming my friend!
I, in turn, respected his accomplishments at his family’s company and that combined with his being a close friend of my physician buddy…extended every courtesy and then some!
Well, you know the end of the story! The guy found a job and never had the courtesy to let me know, I found about it from our mutual friend….that’s a bad networker!
I subsequently sent Him an email to ask for an introduction to someone at his new company and I’ve never heard back from him. That’s a lousy networker who is no longer part of my network!!!...
Smart people understand what Good Networking is all about...Don’t forget to be Nice!
Your friend needed a favour and he called on you for help; I give him credit for knowing who the go-to person was in that instance, and for having friends like you. But I disagree that you should drop his friend, the recipient of your (free) services, and now seeming ingrate, from your network. Rather, it would be interesting to call him with your best wishes for success, which at the same time would give him an opportunity to express some gratitude. It is the rare individual who feels absolutely no need to reciprocate when being on the receiving end of a kindness - particularly when the association is a proferssional one. Quite possibly, he may have offered to make the right connections for you once he has been at his new job long enough. Whatever the outcome, you would have likely kept him in your network under good terms and been able to follow up on a quarterly basis. The other side of the coin is that there are takers and givers. People remember the givers and speak well of them. The takers are not trusted and develop arms-length relationships at best. It sounds like you are a giver - now that's what I call good networking!
Posted by: Harry Herskovitz | 10/19/2009 at 08:51 AM
Good point.....the benefit of the doubt does work sometimes...thanks
Posted by: Martin Kartin | 10/21/2009 at 02:15 PM