Reading your post, Jason, I immediately thought of the invites I get to connect to others on Linked In. Even people who have read my posts on MLPF will send me an invitation to connect using the standard canned greeting. Wouldn’t it make more sense from a networking perspective to at least personalize the greeting at little bit? A little bit of professionalism and courtesy can go oh so far.

(I have to admit, I had a moment of thinking about the people that Jason has introduced me to and wonder how I could have done better… the “is he talking about me” moment. But, then, that could just be my inner “not one of the cool kids in high-school” voice talking…

Seriously, I completely agree with this one. The extension I’ll make to the point is one that I’ll talk about more on my own blog at some point in the next couple of weeks (as I’m busy putting the finishing touches on a new book). Especially with geeks, the failure to make the most of this type of introduction appropriately is endemic.

There’s a positive part there, too. The failure can be a great opportunity to DEEPEN a relationship if you do it well. The first question I find myself asking in this situation: did this introduction go badly because of a lack of skill, or a lack of caring? If it’s a lack of caring on the part of the person I made the intro to, then shame on me – this was an intro I probably should have known better than to make.

But, in the case of lack of skill or knowing how to handle it, I’ve found that it is often an opportunity for me to create real profundity within my relationships with a really simple reply:

“Hey… you seemed kinda uncomfortable in your response. Things okay? If I can help out or offer some tips on responding to this type of thing, let me know.”

This is a big win on both sides – you show your caring for the person you’re in relationship for, while ensuring that it doesn’t happen again. And you get to know a bit more about what makes your friend tick.

Which is always a good thing for me.

Okay, done rambling. As I’m sure Dan would point out, we Canadians sure are long-winded at times.

-Mike

Thanks all for the comments – it was hard to write this because I didn’t want people to think “oh no, was it me?” but this is obviously a huge issue, inciting tirades and all kinds of cockamamie activities :p

Fool me once….

Dan

Jason is teaching me a lot about networking, since I never did much of it until recently. This article is another among many where Jason shows he “get’s it” and is helping others to “get it” as well. Hey isn’t that what Jibber Jobber is all about?