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Why We’re Bad At Networking #5: Many Personalities, One Method

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Why are we bad at Networking? This issue has been obsessing me for the last few weeks, which I hope has been as informative for you as it’s been therapeutic for me. It’s nice to organize my thoughts and get them out. As you may guess, I’m not done yet.

Now there’s a lot of effective networking advice out there. Sure it’s often basic, sure we get the same stuff thrown at us again and again, sure the tools are overwhelming. But we do get a lot of good network advice and options out there.

It’s just that in a lot of cases . . . it’s pitched at people who already network in specific ways, do specific things, and have specific personalities.

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Why We’re Bad At Networking #4: Narrow Focus, Narrow Interest

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So I’ve been asking – why are we so bad at networking sometime? So far I’ve covered the fact that we’re tired of hearing about it, incoherent issues on the basics, and too much confusing new stuff.

I mean let’s face it, it’s rammed down our throats, the basics are treated incoherently, and every week there’s Some New Networking Thing.

All of this crazy creates problems that are further amplified because we’re actually taught a very, very narrow view of networking.

Networking is for jobs. That’s what we hear about. That’s what we’re told. Spend all that time getting ready to network. Get that site together. Remove the embarrassing picture of you dressed as Jack Sparrow from Facebook. This is all about your job.

This kills it. This kills the fun. This kills the enthusiasm. This kills the humanity. I’ve covered this before, so let me put it succinctly.

The idea that networking should primarily be about your job is pure grade-A bulls**t.

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Why We’re Bad At Newtworking #3: The New Skew Review

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Last week as I explored why we’re bad at networking, I covered how the basics are actually poorly handled, taught, and communicated. Somehow among all the books and lectures, we manage to get the actual basics of networking made boring, repetitive, and incoherent. In turn, that turns us off to networking and misinforms us.

However there’s a flip side to Basic Buzzword Breakdown that also makes us bad at networking; The Onslaught of The New.

Look I’m a big Neophile in my own way (that means I like new things, not that I love Neo in The Matrix). I love new stuff. I love interesting stuff. However there’s a lot to be said for the basics, for the old school, for known things, and that “lot to be said is “this stuff works and is reliable.”

Unfortunately, as part of the Hammering On Of Networking (which I don’t think I’m a part) we get the latest new thing dragged out and shoved in our faces and shot into our eyeballs. There’s always some Big! New! Networking! Thing!

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