I'm on LinkedIn. I finally broke down and joined after
so many friends, colleagues, acquaintances and
people I frankly don't remember ever meeting emailed
me asking that I name them as members of my
trusted inner circle.
Uh, well, OK. What was your name again?
I got a request the other day from a woman I worked
with in a previous life when she never returned my
emails or telephone calls and went out of her way to
disparage my department in meetings. She wants ME
in her inner circle? No. She wants a lot of people on
her list.
On the other hand, I was thrilled a couple of months
ago to receive an invitation from a former colleague I
truly respect and admire. However, a few weeks later
when another member of my circle asked me to make
an introduction to this former colleague, my request
went unanswered.
I think LinkedIn is a brilliant idea and a powerful tool.
But here are my suggestions:
- Use it as it was originally intended, as a way to link
to your truly trusted inner circle
- Stop gathering and accepting names like it's a
high school popularity contest
- Go for quality, not quantity
- If you accept someone into your sphere, be willing
to help that person (or at least respond) when he/she
reaches out
to you
One of the best networkers I know is a big fan of
LinkedIn. Melissa Giovagnoli is the founder of Networlding
and author of Networlding: Building Relationships
and Opportunities for Success. She takes
networking way beyond exchanging virtual business
cards and into creating meaningful connections.
Vickie Austin is another world-class networker. She
founded Choices
Worldwide. Vickie taught me how to put
my "golden rolodex" to good use. She's all about
helping others succeed AND asking them to help you.
So, go ahead. Use tools like LinkedIn and others to
build and maintain your network. Just remember to
treat these people like you would any others in
your life -- with integrity, sincerity and honesty.
Becasue in the end, it's still all about relationships.
