Business Networking: The Essential Ingredient in Managing a Business (Commentary by Craig J Selby) The irony is that I am writing this post. In my first professional position, I remember shying away from others at conferences. I was there to present – nothing more, nothing less. Turn up, speak, field an appropriate number of questions, exit stage left. I hated networking. If I am honest, I still do. Just today, I am much better at doing it. Like it or not, every professional position requires some form of networking – be it internal company events, broader industry events, or external functions where we have the opportunity to make new connections. The importance of networking cannot be underestimated; nor can the need to get it right. I used to tell myself (ok, so I still do), the other people here probably feel the same way. They too don’t want to network per se; but we all want the opportunities that arise from it. That makes it easier. Over the years, I have ...