Practical Coach: Management Skills for Everyday Life, The

Networking

Many hardworking and high-achieving professionals think that interpersonal relationships often get in the way of their work performance, particularly when they are busy or when a relationship doesn't add immediate instrumental value. The thinking—and the potential consequences of this thinking—goes somewhat like this:

I thought it was enough to know my job and to work hard. I stayed on top of the new developments in my field. I even won a few industry awards for my designs. I came in early and worked late. Heck, I rarely went out to lunch—I just kept working. Sometimes I worked so hard that I didn't even have enough time to return phone calls or e-mail messages, especially those messages from people who I didn't know very well or ...