I recently returned from a business trip to India and I am deeply moved by what I have seen of the people and what I see as the future of that nation.  I am also inspired to look at the America I know, and to offer my thoughts about what it is we have to learn from what is happening over there.  I am clear that at least once in American history, we were a nation much like they are now: proud to be who we are, anxious for the opportunity to learn more and to work harder and willing to do what it takes.  We were a nation where innovation was the rule and created new opportunities constantly.  

From the people I met in India I regained a connection to what it takes to become a great nation, a global leader. None of this is intended to exalt India or its people as if they have no problems, nor is it intended to put down the US, but to offer a critical look at the patterns of thought and behavior that have move people, organizations, nations forward and some that don’t.

In previous articles, I’ve discussed the steps required to cultivate a good relationship with a center of influence (COI).  Probably one of hardest aspects of this relationship building is keeping in touch and staying on the forefront of your colleagues’ minds. It can be a daunting task to keep in touch with many centers of influence.

The key to accomplishing this is being very organized and finding opportunities for many “little touches” throughout the month that benefit your COI’s.  

For this month, I am simply going to start a thread.  I am currently in India working with an amazing company called Seed Infotech.  I have only been here about 24 hours but would like to share some of what I have noticed, and invite you to take a look at something for yourself.

One of the biggest challenges people face in “networking” is finding the right people to network with on a long term basis.   You have to figure out if the people you are meeting are going to be good networking connections or bad ones.  This is the Filtering process.  It should be embraced, rather than feared and avoided.  The following are two very typical  problems people have, and the solutions to avoiding and navigating them.