Connected People

I’m getting a lot of LinkedIn requests again…

Too many people think of relationships only when it’s time to find a job. There’s no doubt in my mind that having a well-oiled network of people who know you and know what you can do is a great way to get through the door. But it’s a hell of a one-sided way to look at another person.

Too many people confuse a fat stack of business cards or—increasingly today—a fat network of connections in sites like LinkedIn and Facebook with a healthy network of relationships. Don’t confuse the tool with the task.

Your network of professional and personal relationships—family, friends, co-workers—is one of your most important assets.

A couple friends of mine, natural network nodes (AKA high weight Eigenvector Centralities), gave me the following list of activities to do every day to ensure the health of my network of relationships.

• Stay in touch
• Show interest
• Listen, then talk
• Do a favor
• Follow through
• Be genuine

You will notice the stark absence of activities designed to benefit me. I think that is the point. The strongest relationships are built on investment. It’s your job to make the first deposit.

- Bandit