Reid Hoffman rules of networking.
Adam Rifkin stashed this in Networking
Stashed in: 106 Miles, @reidhoffman, Business Advice, Favors!, Rules, How To Be A Super Connector
This whole Fortune magazine article about Reid Hoffman talks about the philosophy of the man behind LinkedIn, but I particularly enjoyed his rules at the end:
In the next day: Look at your calendar for the past six months and identify the five people you spend the most time with -- are you happy with their influence on you?
In the next week: Introduce two people who do not know each other but ought to. Then think about a challenge you face and ask for an introduction to a connection in your network who could help.
Imagine you got laid off from your job today. Who are the 10 people you'd e-mail for advice? Don't wait -- invest in those relationships now.
In the next month: Identify a weaker tie with whom you'd like to build an alliance. Help him by giving him a small gift -- forward an article or job posting.
Create an "interesting people fund" to which you automatically funnel a certain percentage of your paycheck. Use it to pay for coffees and the occasional plane ticket to meet new people and shore up existing relationships.
Source: The real way to build a social network, Fortune Magazine
I love the idea of an "interesting people fund" it's something that I've never really articulated but seen, and perhaps participated in at some level, unconsciously. Thanks for posting this!
Great highlight. I think this stuff is really hard to do, even if laid out so clearly by an expert.
It's hard, but it's doable.
The book Reid Hoffman co-authored with Ben Casnocha, The Startup of You, explains more about how:
The three best rules of networking: http://pandawhale.com/convo/1581/what-are-the-three-best-methods-for-networking-barking-up-the-wrong-tree
Tend to your network a little bit every day:
http://pandawhale.com/post/3351/networking-tip-connect-every-day
4:07 PM Jan 24 2012