When we talk about landing the perfect job, or creating “the career” we often focus on getting the education, the certification, the training (i.e. the technical aspects of the job).

Those things are of course extremely important and a necessary piece of the puzzle.

What many people overlook however, is the importance of building relationships.  Just as interconnecting networks of computers, routers and switches are the building blocks of the Internet; Interconnecting networks of people are really the life blood of business, of careers and ultimately of success.  Never downplay the importance of a connection, for that unlikely match-up might lead to the dream job, contract or business down the road.

Treating everyone with respect, and going out of your way to help others without the thought or need of an immediate return goes a long way to forging a reputation that mountains can be built upon. People will naturally gravitate toward things that make them feel good or better about themselves.

What this means in practical terms is don’t only give special treatment to the CEO or executive management of a company.  Treat everyone (co-workers, vendors, customers and so on) with respect and give them all your best effort.

You might not see an immediate return on that “investment” but over the long-term it will return in multiples.  People that may not be in a direct position to help you today can most definitely grow to be “the person” you need in the future.  By laying the groundwork, not only will they be much more willing to help in the future, but they will also pass that information on to others and your network will silently grow behind the scenes.

In the IT field, the power of relationship building is a much overlooked concept and something that we all need to get better at.  Often times IT identifies themselves as a separate part of a company because, as we all know, the IT department is typically vastly different from what the rest of the company does (i.e. healthcare, pharmaceuticals, finance, banking, etc).

However, the decision-makers both in and out of IT talk to each other, jump companies, start new ventures, etc., and are always looking for good people they can rely on to get the job done.  The mail clerk today can be the CEO of THE killer startup tomorrow.

So as the old saying goes, “be careful of the toes you step on today, for they may be attached to the butt you have to kiss tomorrow!”