Dear Friends:Every moment that we spend in conversation with another individual is an investment of our life's finite and uncertain time. By defininition, each investment of time spent with another is significant beyond measure. Time wasted is irretrievably lost. After spending an initial portion of our time with a new acquaintance (which research is necessary -- as it is in any exploratory venture), we must quickly determine whether a further investment is advisable. Time spent with the wrong persons is doubly punitive - on the one hand, it can never be replaced - on the other, time wasted with the "wrong person" (apart from its educational value) represents an opportunity lost to be spending time with the right one.
Both a burden and an opportunity, we must rapidly assess, after our initial explorations, whether or not a person is worth the additional incremental expenditure of time. If not, we are obligated to rapidly excuse ourselves. This networking activity is a much more serious business than many grinning name-collectors would have us think.
Choosing the right associates will, in large part, determine our success or failure in the business of life.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com [This article was initially published in Douglas Castle's professional blog]
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3 comments:
This is spot on in my estimation Douglas. It's the way I have always treated networking and thought it might be influenced by my introvert nature! I actually find myself evaluating each conversation as I go. I don't usually come away from an event, even with 25 or 30 people, with more than about 3 to 5 business cards to follow up with. But those connections are usually quite worthwhile. It goes along with the expression that we all have the same amount of time and it's what we do with that time that gets us the results we get. Thanks for your post.
Not so easy. There are thousands of stories about busy networkers who thought to write someone off who ended up being their most valuable connection. Life is full of surprises and networking results are often not knowable. There is serendipity and chance and adventure. I agree with you when someone is only about themselves and after 45 minutes hasn't so much as come up for air, never mind asked me about myself. Then I move on.......
Patweber, Christine and Tommy Lee Jones, ( I mean Douglas) you're all onto something. One of the mistakes "networkers" make is that every person can bring value to you, and vice versa. If you've spent enough time on the circuit you will find that there are certain people who share your energies and some who don't. This applies as well for perspective clients. I write about this in my article this month.
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