You're navigating the business world of networking. How can you establish authentic connections that last?

I do believe that active listening is something that many people struggle with. Especially in this modern world with tons of distractions and short attention spans. My advice is to be present and listen more actively. Like Dale Carnegie once said, "the best gift to present others is our time." You need to give your contact your full attention in order to start off on the right foot to establish a long-term authentic relationship.

You should always be thinking "how can I help this person?", then do exactly that. You do not need to be afraid to straight up ask them the question, "how can I help you?". From personal experience, when you focus on giving without worrying about what you'll receive, it will take you further in the relationship especially if you do this from the start.

Yes I do believe in "being yourself", but one thing that you need to keep in mind is that there is a time and place for everything. You need to know where you are, what you want, and conduct yourself accordingly. If you are being real, you will attract those who are real too. From my personal experience, the concept of "what you see is what you get" is so true and powerful. One thing I can't be called is a "fake" because I'm real anywhere I go in any situation, and that will take your networking relationships a long way.

Being yourself cannot be overestimated. You want people who know you in real life to think, "How they post and the content they create perfectly aligns with who I know them to be." Using your authentic voice will also allow your content to shine. It'll show your unique voice and lend itself to content that resonates with others, many others.

Never just be a "card collector" who will aggregate contacts and "figure the networking later". Here quality always wins hands down over quantity. People are anyways tired of receiving spam emails ; your another email wont work. However, a great chat , being genuinely interested , finding out a tangible next step (maybe a coffee where you can share details on your startup or the catch up on lunch where you can get your CTO friend to give some perspective to your new contact) is a great way to make people "expect your follow up". Remember - be welcomed - and don't be the one who pushes in.

The easiest way to keep up with this is by putting recurring reminders on your calendar. Eventually, it'll become automatic. Until then, set up and place reminders on all calendars, to-do lists, wherever makes sense for you.