When we were growing up, most of us learned to live by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Not “as they do unto you,” but “as you would have them do unto you.” As working professionals, there is another manifestation of this rule, the Golden Rule for Networking. It should permeate all your networking efforts. But it goes against every naturally acquisitive, ambitious and self-serving impulse in each of us.

My Golden Rule of Networking is this: Reciprocity without keeping score. Simply stated, it means what can I do for you without expecting anything in return?