Networking requires effort, attention and planning.  A lot of people will simply go through the motions for a while, get burned out and quit.  Is that you?  Do you have a pattern of uncompleted projects?

We all want to do well, but good intentions do not produce good results.  The same goes for good ideas.  They are like horses in pasture.  They’re wonderful to look at, but unless you saddle up, they won’t take you anywhere.  Useless.

Networking can be a useless endeavor, too.  They key to effective networking is knowing what you want, finding the right information and doing something with that information.  It’s like teaming your horses together to pull your wagon to the depot, cowpoke.

The first step is planning: identifying who you want to meet and why.  It’s the map.  Write it out!  You can be specific or you can simply have a goal of meeting more people in a certain group of industry.

Step two: pay attention to new opportunities.  Allow yourself to veer off the map.  If you are too focused on the destination, you’ll miss the roadside attractions.  There are new groups to find, and you never know when you’ll meet an interesting person.  Stay open.

Step three is the work.  You need to constantly analyze the people you know, the people you meet and hidden opportunities.  A friend who recently launched a new business or got fired may benefit from  something you know.  Sparking a relationship between two friends is fulfilling for everyone involved.

Networking is about focusing on people instead of projects.  Ask any parent: people take a lot of work.  If you’re willing to put in the work, you can have rewarding relationships that take you places.  If you’re not going to be fully engaged, don’t bother.  You’ll waste your time and bother the horses.

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