Important people

About a month ago, I picked up a copy of Rules for Renegades in the SFO airport. I had heard about the book and wasn't planning to read it but I happen to know the author and had a long flight ahead of me. On a whole, the book wasn't terribly useful. Then again, I've read more than my fair share of self-help and entrepreneurship books so I think the book would likely be very useful to many other people. One excerpt really resonated with me, though.

Some of my past fears included attending events where I felt inadequate (not important enough) and ignorant about socializing with superpowerful people ... I adopted an illusion that I too was a player, powerful and famous, and willed my palms to be dry and warm. I asked a lot of questions. I was confident. And the result was that now I can meet anyone, speak before any size crowd, and hold my own ...

You'll always resonate with someone. When you do, ask the two most important networking questions: How did you get started in your field? What's your ideal customer? We all love to talk about ourselves, and these questions will not only help you form a connection with this person but will also tell you how to help him or her.

I wouldn't say I'm that great in networking situations. To be honest, in a lot of situations, I'm not genuinely interested in getting to know the people there. With the superpowerful, I often don't think I have anything in common with them or that I'm not in their same league. But the more I've met these people, the more I've come to realize that they're mostly like the rest of us. They have personal problems like everyone else, have their own set of dreams and fears, and don't have enough time to do everything they want to do (like most people). These people certainly have more resources (money, power, etc) at their disposal but that too can be a mixed blessing.

At any rate, an area for improvement for me. I'll make it #534 on the list. =)