What does it mean to be “good at networking”?
You can check all the boxes: calendars are full, conferences are booked, and coffee chats are stacked back-to-back. And yet, you might find yourself underwhelmed by the relationship ROI of a busy conference season and wonder if you should have packed in even more meetings.
What if the problem isn’t a lack of engagements, but a lack of big-picture strategy?
At the mid-to-senior level, business development stops being about volume and starts being about leverage. More conversations don’t necessarily translate into more opportunity. Better relationships do.
The Fallacy of Quantity
Early in your career, exposure matters, and saying yes to as many opportunities as possible can help you grow your visibility and build your network. But as your responsibilities increases and expertise crystallizes, the cost of unfocused networking rises quickly. Every meeting and conference carries a higher opportunity cost – time, energy, and cognitive bandwidth that could be invested in more strategic priorities.
While it may feel important to “show your face” and not miss out, unintentional networking can actually dilute your positioning. When everyone gets your time, no one experiences your depth. It’s the classic saying: “When everything is important, nothing is important.”
What Valuable Relationships Look Like
Strong relationships are:
- Mutually relevant – both parties benefit and bring value
- Built on trust, not proximity – your reputation and reliability matter more than frequency of interaction
- Maintained intentionally over time – consistent engagement shows commitment
- Anchored in shared context or values – common priorities or perspectives deepen connection
These are the people who naturally think of you when opportunities arise – not because you were the most visible, but because they trust your expertise, judgment, and reliability.
A Strategic Shift
Instead of asking, “How many people should I meet?” try asking:
- Who truly understands my expertise?
- Who is part of the networks I want to join?
- Who would advocate for me if I weren’t present?
These questions force prioritization – and prioritization is where mastering business development begins.
This Week’s Move
Take 20 minutes and list:
- 5 relationships that consistently create career momentum
- 5 relationships that consume energy without clear return
You don’t need to cut anyone off, but start paying attention to where your efforts consistently pay off – and think about how you’ll contribute to those relationships next.
As I tell my daughter, “Breathe in gratitude, breathe out generosity.” Keep this in mind as you nurture your network.
Remember: better relationships – not more networking – are what move careers and capital.
WRITTEN BY HANNAH WYNNYK
President & COO of Kayo Conference Series
