Avalanche Control and Networking

Over the holiday weekend I decided to take a walk in one of the Toledo Metro Parks, lovely Sidecut Park along the Maumee River. I love walking there especially in the morning, but unfortunately, I had gotten a late start and it was more like 11 AM. It was incredible to me that while I was enjoying just being outside, I wasn't hearing or seeing many birds or animals.

Near the end of my walk, I was practicing something I had just read. In a book about avalanche control, author Jill Fredston talks about how when she is searching for someone (usually a dead body) she looks not for the body, but what is out of place. I was in an area where normally I would see deer during an early morning walk. Soon, I saw a rounded shape that just was too "rounded" to be a tree trunk. Sure enough, it was a reclining deer, camoflauged perfectly by the standing tan colored grasses. But I have to tell you that my brain was working overtime to convince me that it was one of the many downed tree trunks scattered in the area.

This started me thinking about figuring out who to network with at events. I wonder if I could use the same technique? Do I zoom past people because I am not noticing what is slightly hidden or different? Could I pay more attention to those who are not bold and assertive? Is the very person I need to meet hidden by a crowd of others?

I will be doing some research on this. I'll let you know what I find out about my networking eye.