There are times in business wherein success is not so much a matter of what you know but of who you know.

Networking – interacting with others to exchange information or to form connections with people who can help in your profession – is one of the most hated business activities.

Author Katherine McGraw Patterson puts this down to people not being taught how to network. To remedy this, she shares a Four-Step Beginner’s Guide for the Networking-Averse that will help professionals learn to love and harness the power of networking, and not feel like they are, she calls it, Lunching with Lions.

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Good book on networking with the right people. You don't have to love networking to love this book. Nor do you have to love being with people to network. You do however need a want to add value to others, this will get you to lunching with lions...your target client, avatar, and the ones who can introduce you to the other lions you need to at your table.

As a novice to networking as a newly self employed middle-aged woman, this book had high appeal. From this digital copy I took away useful tips to help me not fear a sea of faces but be able to converse freely.

My second book in networking in the past three month. This one is very good for people who avoid networking or push themselves to network because they have to. I have discovered a lot of interesting points for myself and think that having an overall goal for networking is extremely important. I liked a lot an example of coffee invite that brought to nothing. Sometimes conversations can be like this at events too. Very good and easy to read book above for skills refresh!

Truth be told, I am a networking novice, mediocre at best. This book was written for people like me. It doesn’t matter how many events or gatherings I attend, I am always in awe of those individuals who network like a boss, flitting from one person to the next, seamlessly fitting in with the various personality types in the room, impressing others with their ease and leadership skills. They motivate others to instantly want to be a part of their network. Now I finally have insight into these professional networking strategies and methods. Let’s face it, networking has become an increasingly important skill in the 21st century, so understanding the why, where, how and with whom of making connections has become pretty important. Author Katherine McGraw Patterson takes the guesswork and uncertainties out of successful networking by providing an in-depth look at practical best practices to achieve your objectives.

I picked this up because I hate hate hate hate hate networking. You know that feeling where you know you should go to stuff and talk to people and tell them about what you do and all that?
Yeah.
Turns out, according to Patterson I'm doing half of it right but two things are holding me back: my mindset and my lack of purpose.

Lunching with Lions is a pretty breezy read. It's not a textbook that you're going to be struggling over, but a conversational classroom (sorta) with very honest personal anecdotes that make you go yeah, that's me. It's designed to give you both the confidence of "hey, if she can do it, so can I!" plus the kick in the pants of "I really need to get my act together, don't I?"

Patterson breaks things down step-by-step so that it doesn't overwhelm, effectively holding your hand through the process. But then as with all books like this, you've read the materials, now you gotta put it into practice. Which is the hard part, but not as hard now that you've got tips to help you on the way.

Good outline if you have been avoiding networking as a job or career development practice. Will get you through the awkward beginning. Hopefully this will kick start adding networking as a perpetual part of your career