Connecting Isn’t Relationship-Building

Clicking “Connect” on LinkedIn is not networking. It’s database administration.

Useful database administration, certainly. I use LinkedIn constantly. It gives us an extraordinary ability to find people, remember people, see what they’re doing and stay loosely connected over years.

But a connection is not a relationship.

A relationship requires interaction

It develops when you have a conversation, follow up afterward, meet again, exchange ideas, help someone, make an introduction, remember something they told you, or simply stay in touch long enough to become a real person in each other’s professional lives.

That distinction matters because business is still remarkably human. We have more technology than ever for finding prospects. We can automate outreach. Generate emails. Schedule posts. Research people instantly. Collect thousands of contacts. And none of that automatically creates trust.

Trust still tends to develop the old-fashioned way: through repeated evidence that you are competent, interested, reliable and useful.

Which is why I still show up in person

I live in New York City, where there are endless opportunities to meet people, and I take advantage of them. I even carry business cards — apparently a radical act in 2026.

The card isn’t the relationship either. It’s simply a breadcrumb that helps two people find each other again. The actual work begins afterward:

• Who should you follow up with?
• Who should you invite for coffee?
• Who mentioned something you can help with?
• Who can you introduce to someone else?
• Who would simply be interesting to know better?

“Your network isn’t the number beside “connections” on your profile. It’s the people who actually know who you are.”

Technology makes connection easier than ever. Don’t confuse that with making relationships effortless.