NAIDnews From the Editor: Fishing is a lot Like Networking

March 14, 2017

Kelly Martínez, NAID Director of Marketing & Communications

My father is an expert fisherman. I spent much of my childhood sitting in a boat or tramping up the creek bed in search of “the perfect spot”. As a young girl I hated baiting my own hook, and so my dad assisted me. He and his friends were there to teach me to properly cast my line, slowly real in, to set the hook, and more. I remember cruising on our small motorized dingy past drunk lunatics and commiserating with fellow serious fisherman about scaring the fish, what was biting, and where the good holes could be found along the walls of the cliffs.

Fishing is a lot like networking. The actual fishing part is more like business, but being a fisherman – standing along the shore in the silent grace of it all, sometimes you need the wisdom of a sage because those fish just won’t bite! You can know everything about the science of it, the solunar tables, the ideal location, and how a bobber works, but there are days when you are disdained to go home empty handed; then, it’s great to run into a fellow fisherman who can suggest something like bread dough balls over worms for bait (trust me on that one).

The same is true in the business world. We make networking sound hard, as if we are forced to cast and recast our lines to no avail. It doesn’t have to be a slimy, forced conversation. Networking is happening all the time, whether you are intentional about it, cultivating it, or just doing business as usual. Even when you’re not “actively networking”, the relationships you foster, big and small, may pay out in the future in ways you couldn’t imagine. That’s what happened in the featured article of the latest edition of the NAIDnews. Check out the story “It’s What You Know. It’s Who You Know” about how a simple referral set the bait for the biggest contract catch for one company.

I also encourage you to cast aside any stigmas you may have around networking. I have a personal list of positive experiences I’m happy to share with you at NAID 2017. Come find me; let’s chat – ahem – network.

You want the fish to bite? Get to know others on the lake.