Success in today’s workplace, whether “success” means getting that promotion, getting projects completed more effectively or dealing with the inevitable challenges we face, is greatly dependent on our ability to connect with those around us. Chapter thirty-five introduced three important networking practices – Help the people around you, Listen, and Laugh.

Here are three more networking musts:

Be a source of information

Become an insatiable reader and gatherer of knowledge in your subject area or your industry. Become the “go-to” person when people have a question.

Connect people

Be a business matchmaker. Look for opportunities to help the people around you network more effectively.

Be involved

Get involved in charities, volunteer organizations and not-for-profit events. Position yourself as someone who is involved and engaged.

Networking, when done properly, has a remarkable effect. The more you selflessly help the people around you, the more frequently exciting things magically begin to happen for you. It’s not really magic, of course, nor is it coincidence. You just have to consistently think about what you can do for others (instead of what they can do for you). What goes around truly does come around.