“It’s not what you know but whom you know and who knows, likes, and trusts you.” – Paul Aaron Travis
I’ve built up a huge “rolodex” over the years and I must say, one of the most fulfilling and fun aspects of my business career is helping people I know meet other people I know.
So I began surveying people on their enjoyment and experience of networking. And what I’ve come to believe is that we don’t have to have some special gift or bloodline to be a “Connector”, as Malcolm Gladwell described in “The Tipping Point”. All that is required is an understanding of karma, that what goes around comes around.
This is what propelled me, after writing last year on the topic of Leadership, to reframe the nebulous world of “networking” as Business Friendship. It has proven to help people let down their guard, to be less certain that everyone is a “schmoozer in polyester”.
And while this gentleman did not write a book about the topic of networking, his other endeavors gave him insights that align with “Business Friendship” and stand alone in terms of depth. Consider:
“Choose people to associate with”
first on the basis of integrity;
second motivation (without integrity, motivation is dangerous);
third capacity (without motivation, capacity is impotent);
fourth understanding (without capacity, understanding is limited);
fifth knowledge (without understanding, knowledge is meaningless);
last and least experience (without knowledge, experience is blind).
— Dee Hock, author and the architect of the Visa credit card network
Paul Aaron Travis has turned his philosophy into a mission: that every person on our planet fulfill their potential by sharing his/her unique gifts – without limitation of who they know, whether employed, self-employed, or unemployed! www.Networking-2020.com
