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I hate networking and loathe networkers. People who get their job done by emailing, making phone calls and sitting in meetings are leaches. They know little whi

I hate networking and loathe networkers. People who get their job done by emailing, making phone calls and sitting in meetings are leaches. They know little which isn't told to them (they're too busy socializing to read a book), produce nothing, leave the details and hard work to others, yet somehow are given all the credit and reap all the benefits. Never Eat Alone is basically a guide to creating and maintaining insincere relationships with others so you can use them to do work for you. Just like Tom Sawyer, it's considered clever if you get all your friends to paint the fence so you don't have to. I personally find it nauseating.

etothepii 5y ago
Unfortunately this is not true. I've recently started my own software business and the reality is that all the work is going out talking to potential clients and understanding their problems. Writing some code at the end is usually trivial once I've actually understood the problem.
BeetleB 5y ago
Most successful useful products do not sell solely based on the merit of the code/engineering behind them. While it's true that without your coding skills they may not make money, it's also true that without people's sales and networking skills, you will not make money. Of course, when a company gets to a certain size, such leeches that you describe very clearly exist. The notion of "failing upwards"[1] is clear once you look for it. However, don't make the mistake of generalizing from the leeches who are in the minority to the others who are performing a useful role. [1] Including getting fired only to find better jobs. Over and over again.
fuzzfactor 5y ago
Not my downvote, but I think the important takeaway is for those who have extreme networking as the primary focus, lunch & dinner meetings are just one of the things that should not fail to be exploited. Like anything else there are only so many meal dates you can make, and no matter how hard you try they will not all come true, so you need to put it into accurate perspective how to take action. Simply one of the best ways to bond with a variety of associates is through common love of good food and service at your favorite restaurants. It can be a serious advantage when you're born & raised for this. OTOH I had an exponential growth phase with a marketer who did not like the fancy food & drink but catered to sports-loving clients with game tickets, plus discreetly for our most lucrative client a generous season package with extra seats for whoever they wanted since we actually went to only a few of the games ourselves. All compliments of Our Co. which everybody ended up knowing since discretion was of course not fully maintained. Occasional clients became regulars and everyone wanted to "move up in the rankings". Anyway, top networkers and persuasive salespeople have always had the most unfair advantage when that is basically their entire focus compared to their other highly successful peers. But it's not a good idea to let any persuasiveness get the best of an organization. Once a goal is established, the networkers should be working purely in service to the creative, engineering, and technical executives. Not the other way around.

etothepii 5y ago

Unfortunately this is not true. I've recently started my own software business and the reality is that all the work is going out talking to potential clients and understanding their problems. Writing some code at the end is usually trivial once I've actually understood the problem.

BeetleB 5y ago

Most successful useful products do not sell solely based on the merit of the code/engineering behind them. While it's true that without your coding skills they may not make money, it's also true that without people's sales and networking skills, you will not make money. Of course, when a company gets to a certain size, such leeches that you describe very clearly exist. The notion of "failing upwards"[1] is clear once you look for it. However, don't make the mistake of generalizing from the leeches who are in the minority to the others who are performing a useful role. [1] Including getting fired only to find better jobs. Over and over again.

fuzzfactor 5y ago

Not my downvote, but I think the important takeaway is for those who have extreme networking as the primary focus, lunch & dinner meetings are just one of the things that should not fail to be exploited. Like anything else there are only so many meal dates you can make, and no matter how hard you try they will not all come true, so you need to put it into accurate perspective how to take action. Simply one of the best ways to bond with a variety of associates is through common love of good food and service at your favorite restaurants. It can be a serious advantage when you're born & raised for this. OTOH I had an exponential growth phase with a marketer who did not like the fancy food & drink but catered to sports-loving clients with game tickets, plus discreetly for our most lucrative client a generous season package with extra seats for whoever they wanted since we actually went to only a few of the games ourselves. All compliments of Our Co. which everybody ended up knowing since discretion was of course not fully maintained. Occasional clients became regulars and everyone wanted to "move up in the rankings". Anyway, top networkers and persuasive salespeople have always had the most unfair advantage when that is basically their entire focus compared to their other highly successful peers. But it's not a good idea to let any persuasiveness get the best of an organization. Once a goal is established, the networkers should be working purely in service to the creative, engineering, and technical executives. Not the other way around.