The Indivible Hand Podcast with Chris Gondek (Posted September 2, 2006)
The Virtual Handshake with David Teten (March 21, 2006)
"Not one case of a successful businessman or woman exists for which mentors and/or networks were not essential.
Why is this? It is possible to get rich by gambling, either at a roulette table or by day trading, without participating in networks. But real business is a social process. Learning the trade, getting leads, making connections, closing deals, getting promotions: they all require social interactions. It is not enough to “know?? your trade. Moreover, how can you learn a trade and perform it in isolation? Certainly you can’t make deals if you are unknown or you can’t be accepted as a person worth talking to. Your chances of closing a deal vastly improve if you can share a golf game, a beer, or even a taxi with decision makers.
What began as a study of 19th-century entrepreneurial businessmen, then grew into the 20th century. I began to think about the modern notions of corporations as meritocracies. Within these, thanks to personnel departments and “objective?? standards for hiring and promotion, people are supposed to succeed based on their work performance only. People think of “office politics?? as an aberration, something that happens when the system breaks down. However, once I started looking into the realities of what was supposed to be a meritocracy, I realized that connections and even connectability mattered in corporations, as much as they do in small firms and as they always had in the past, in every environment."
BusinessWeek.online "Getting Started" by Jeffrey Gangemi (April 2006)
"Open your eyes to your day to day activities as networking opportunities. Even your spare time and social activities can produce a potential partnership if you make the effort. For example, if you're going to play tennis or golf with a friend, ask him to bring a couple of other friends along. But remember to be genuine . . . . 'The idea isn't to be cynical or mercenary or false -- just keep it in the back of your mind that the person you're talking to might be a connection,' says Pamela Laird, author of Pull: Networking and Success Since Benjamin Franklin.
. . .
Another way to get beyond the business card trading level quickly is to attend focused events. Professional organizations often hold yearly conferences where a greater community comes to share information and best practices. 'I strongly urge people to go to conferences, because you learn about what's new in the field -- and it's extremely important for entrepreneurs to be up to date on the latest technology and tools,' says Laird. "
"The Business Shrink: Understanding the Strategy and Psychology of Business" with Peter Morris (March 23, 2006)