An Excerpt from a lecture by Mr. Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu (founder of Imoonline Youth Entrepreneurship Development Program, Owerri, Nigeria) at a youth event in Washington DC (Published with permission)

You can reach Mr Nwaogwugwu directly through www.imoonline.org or by email gnwaogwugwu@imoonline.org

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How To Determine How Much Time You Spend With Someone.

You will be exactly the same person ten years from today except for the books you read and people you meet (Oprah Winfrey). People with poor networking skills find it difficult to make progress in life because they spend more time and resources trying to get things others with good networking skills will get within minutes. Poor networking skills may also mean either not networking at all, or networking with the wrong people. You network with the wrong people when you waste time on people who should get less of your attention. Below are some tips of how much time you should spend with different groups of people in your life.

30% - People at your level both in career and social status.
This people actually account for almost 60% of what you get out there because they are in the same situation you are in; they have similar needs like you. Therefore, they sometime fill in the blanks on news you missed, advertisement you didn’t hear, job/ contract leads you may need, information you need, and most importantly, they are physically available to hang out with you as buddies. These are the same group of people who show up in your birthdays, weddings, etc and call you or visit you as friends.

25% - These are people a little below you in career and social status. An adage says be wary of people you stepped on while climbing, you may meet them while coming down. Networking with this group of people is very important not necessarily for career growth rather they help us do the heavy-lifting sometimes and save us money and time. These are the neighbors who could save you thousands of dollars because they are friendly enough to close your windows during a storm while you are away and save you the pain of having your furniture completely destroyed. The technicians who don’t mind leaving their shop and coming to your house to fix your car, electrical damages, broken pipes, etc. The money and time these class of people save us add up to thousands of dollars a year.

20% - Office bosses, supervisors, and people a little higher in career and social status than us. These are people who have powers to change our lives and willing to do it if and only if we can impress them. This include office managers who have powers to hire, people who have powers to make decisions that affect us, office colleagues, relatives, uncles and aunts who have the connections that can uplift us. References from this type of people are highly respected because they are in a position of authority and also know us well.

15% - These are usually relatives and friends who are necessary evil. You cannot say they truly love you; it’s obvious they come around you for what you have and what they can get, however, the little errands and support they provide are absolutely important especially when trust is required. Because they are relatives you trust them not to compromise your security and safety. These are the relatives and family friends we use for baby-sitting, entrust our kids into their hands, we send on errand to buy foods and drinks, give keys to your house etc. These are also the boyfriends and girlfriends who obviously don’t love you yet you need them for the company they provide.

10 % - The rich, famous and the powerful. We get to know people in political positions and celebrities not because they either care about us or will even recognize us next time we see them, but just as a validation of our own social status. Modern society worships stardom, affluence, and people tend to tilt towards you if they expect to gain something. Sometimes seeing you with people like this may play the psychological game on some people out there that perhaps by a little stroke of chance you really know them and could be wired. But honestly, don’t waste too much time with this group. Nothing tangible comes out of it no matter how much you worship and impress them. There are just too many people who need their attention.