Networking Myths, Misunderstandings, and Dumb Ideas 45 Chapter Three Networking Myths, Misunderstandings, and Dumb Ideas Once when my daughter was very young, her mother and I told her that we were going to take her to the zoo. We had hoped she'd be delighted. But instead, she looked worried. She didn't say anything. That evening, when I was tucking her into bed, she finally spoke up. "Daddy," she said in a small voice, "When we're at the zoo, will the lions eat me?" "No, sweetheart," I replied. "The lions are in a big pen with high stone walls. They're on an island in the middle of a lake. They don't know how to swim across the water and they can't climb up the walls, so the people are very safe." "Oh," she said, finally looking relaxed. I have seen the same story play out with job hunters. You tell them they need to network, and they don't say anything. They just looked worried. They don't do anything. Later, with luck, you find out what they're worried about. The root of the worries is usually a misunderstanding about networking. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, the networking goes a lot better. That's not surprising. I wouldn't want to network either if I thought I was going to be eaten by lions. 45