When the guy wire on the Drop Tower amusement ride snaps just five yards in front of you it sounds like a freshly-oiled bullwhip singing the tune of a quick gust through a wind tunnel. You watch with a half-eaten bratwurst poised before your lips as the tower jerks over, sending a few park-goers plummeting a thousand feet, into a nearby field. A child's scream makes you look to the ride's queu...

Networking is not easy. Not only do you need to keep an inventory of who you know, you also need to put effort into maintaining those relationships. Like plants, your business relationships require nourishment to become stronger. Here's just a few key characteristics of a smart networker: Understand that people are not merely a means to an end. Once you have figured out their career aspirations,...