I have written many times that there are only 3 ways to find a job and manage your career: Networking, networking and more networking.

There are actually 3 kinds of networking. The first is making new friends. The second is keeping in touch with old friends. And the third part of networking is introducing your new friends to your old friends.

There was a delightful article in today’s (Monday’s) Wall Street Journal titled “Be That Person Who Makes the Connections in Your Group. I would encourage everyone to read the entire article. It highlights the basic tenets of The FENG. The more you help other people, the more you help yourself. Or to put in terms of Murphy’s Law, no good deed goes unpunished.

Being a connector is how you strengthen relationships with your inner circle of friends. It is not enough to know a lot of people. Taking the time to understand and appreciate those who have connected with you gives you the insight to introduce them to the right other people you know.

The process literally feeds on itself. To benefit the most from taking the time to introduce one person to another, provide each party with the other person’s FULL contact information, including their LinkedIn profile. I can’t tell you how many times someone has introduced me and just provided an email address. Sometimes I haven’t even gotten their name. (Yes, you can’t make this stuff up.) I end up working very hard just trying to fill in all the blanks.

Once you really get into being a connector, it does get easier because you will develop an approach that provides you with the information you need to do it right.

I’m sure most of you are keeping track of your networking contacts in Excel. Wrong answer. All of you should invest in a contact database program of some kind. Lucky me, everyone I know I keep in The FENG database. I know of two programs you can purchase. One is ACT! https://www.act.com. It has been around a long time, but I have never used it. The other program is Dex which you will find at https://getdex.com. Dex has been recommended to me many times.

Maintaining your personal address book is easier with the right tools. Once you learn you must collect FULL contact information on your inner circle of friends, you will begin to see why I suggest FULL outgoing signatures on your email. (All part of my evil plan to keep track of those I know.)

Networking is a lot of fun. Being the center of attention is a lot of fun. Put yourself in the middle. Be a connector.

Regards, Matt