The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships

2

INVITE TO GET INVITED

Networking in the traditional sense has somehow become synonymous with hustling—get out there, meet people, press palms. When I think of a networking event, I envision a woman standing in an elevator. She’s about to walk into a hotel ballroom filled with people she doesn’t know. She wears her best suit; her pockets are filled with business cards. Though she looks polished and ready to greet on the outside, inside she is thinking to herself, “God, I just want to go upstairs and order room service.” This is “net working”—it sounds like and often feels like a chore. Instead, let’s call it helping or creating a constellation—doesn’t that sound more rewarding?

Traditional networking is typically motivated by the desire to ...