The Networking Golf

Notably, workers with greater power in their workplaces networked more often than those with less, and were less likely to report feeling dirty when they did.  Which is one reason career advancements from low ranks can be really difficult.  Those already in power are likely more comfortable with networking, and can use it readily to get even further ahead.

You may have noticed that the advice that wealthy, successful people give to others tends to revolve around the fulcrum of hustle.

Get out there.  Chat.  Don't take no for an answer.  Always be closing, as in forcing a decision from somone.

See?  It's easy.  

If it were easy, then nobody would be spending their cash on books and seminars with names like "How to Get Rich."

The truth is, hustling is hard - moreso for the majority of people who aren't successful than those who are.  

It's a bit of chicken and egg.

There are some folk so delusionally confident in themselves and their importance that they would never have trouble networking up (but possibly not patience for networking down, which is not a desirable trait in a leader of any stripe).  

Others will develop confidence (largely shaped by serotonin) through successful practice in the same way a martial artist gets better at their art by training.

It's worth noting, though, that there are many people who will never be confident networkers.  There can be many reasons for this - language barriers or accents, cognitive traits like ASD or ADHD that make "normal" communication more difficult.

This doesn't mean they can't do good work - in fact, they may excel at certain sorts of work, work employers really need to do well on.  When we measure a person's worth by their gift of the gab, though, we're missing out.

On top of this, there are really aggressive hustlers who are great at pushing, but have no patience for receiving, period.  Put them in a room with the boss, they will put-down, edge-out or undermine their less-aggressive peers and dominate the spotlight.

Do we just tell these less-aggressive people to get tough and elbow their way to the front, to fake it 'til they make it?

We would never tell someone in a wheelchair that walking's easy - they just need to get up and do it.

We've stopped telling people they just need to get over being lefties and start being right-handed, like normal people are.

Yet when it comes to communication and personal value, there is a massive gap that needs bridged.

And you can't fill a whole with golf.