Networking. Not my favourite thing, this networking, but we are told to master it, and that it is often “who, not how” that opens doors for us, and can help us change direction, or find inspiration.
After work drinks doesn’t do it for me, and to have dinner with a client drags me away from my family, and thus from my priority in this life. Coffee is good, but if a contact agrees to coffee, I know I’m not only robbing us both of the hour in which we sip hot beverages, but also of our travel time there and back, and our focus on what lies waiting for us on our return, and we all know the emails don’t pause for coffee.
But there is a place where we can network away from all of our distractions, and from the gossipy curiosity of those around us, and, for those who are lucky enough to have seen beyond the dodgy reputation of this marvellous game, and fallen under its spell, that location is the golf course. Both parties are delighted to be there, and the fresh air and exercise, with perhaps a mild dose of competition mixed in, can provide a shared experience that will bring us closer together, and give us to time to talk freely, openly.
It’s as if the game, and our shared complete absence of mastery of it, forges a bond that enables connection, and empathy, and we find out who people really are. In about three hours, we get to discover which of those possible networking relationships will change us, and enrich our path through work and far, far beyond, and which won’t. But hours on the golf course are never wasted time, as any golfer will tell you.
Much is still done in terms of business on the golf course, and it’s no coincidence that the memberships of the finest clubs are heavily corporate, or political. In this busy, capitalist world we live in, those 6,000 yards of mown, natural carpet are unique, an arena in which trust, courtesy and etiquette are not only expected, but fundamental. But we will also make many friends out there, and so from hereon, my networking will involve, whenever possible, a small ball and some sticks. It’s a win-win situation.
I think it was P.G. Wodehouse who said “To find a man's true character, play golf with him”, and he is so right, as usual. So I will see you on the links, and our lives will be richer by the end of our time together. Join me!
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