Networking
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Beyond Facebook
April 03, 2008
Whenever I present one of my “how to get the most out of a networking event” programs to members of the T-Ball Generation, I recommend that participants immediately adopt the habit of carrying business cards. And I do mean always. As I like to point out, we never know when we might meet someone who, for whatever reason, personal or professional, we may wish to add to our network.
Oftentimes, one or two participants will approach me after such a program and insist that neither they, nor their peers, carry business cards. Instead, they maintain, the T-Ball Generation prefers to exchange contact information via various social networking sites like Facebook.com or myspace.com.
In response, I remind members of the T-Ball Generation that while their peers may frequent social networking sites, many of their more senior internal and external clients do not. Young professionals should carefully cultivate some of these more senior people, and when doing so, the more junior person should network with the more senior person in a manner that is most comfortable to the senior. That probably means exchanging business cards.
The example I like to use is that of the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet relationship. A full generation separates Gates and Buffet. Yet, years ago, Gates saw the value of building a personal relationship with Buffet. In their early conversations, Buffet made it very clear that he knew nothing about computers and software and really had no interest in learning about them. Gates was smart enough not to force the issue. Instead, whenever Gates met with Buffet, they shelved discussions of the technology that so occupied Gates’ professional life, and instead, played Bridge or ate at one of Buffet’s favorite Omaha diners.
Now, consider how Gates’ efforts at relationship building have paid off. Gates, who in July 2008 will transition out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft to spend more time on his global health and education work, has built an enduring relationship with the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. And Buffet, impressed with Gates good business sense, has pledged to gradually contribute approximately $30 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—proof positive that face-to- face relationship building, even by one of the world’s most tech savvy entrepreneurs, really can pay off.
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