FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Foreword from Tom Donohue

Tom Donohue is President and Chief Executive Officer of the largest business association in the world, the 3 million member strong US Chamber of Commerce. Tom is one of the world's top opinion leaders and he is a great networker.
WORK THE POND! co-author Gayle Hallgren-Rezac, asked Tom's wife, Liz, what makes Tom such a great networker. Her spontaneous answer was: “He's always trying to help people. If someone needs a job, an introduction, or a doctor for their ailing parents, he'll try and help. That's what he does.” He uses his vast network of contacts to bring the right people together, from simply introducing an employer to a potential employee to the more complex task of bringing government and business together to change policies.
	Tom Donohue, President and CEO, US Chamber of Commerce Photo Credit: Gayle Hallgren-Rezac

   Watch out successful networkers—your best-kept secrets are now out of the bag! You have Darcy Rezac to thank for this.
In Work the Pond!, Darcy opens up the world of networking and lays it out for all to see—in an understandable, entertaining and compelling way.

   Have you talked yourself into believing that you’re not cut out to be a successful networker? This book will give you the confidence to succeed.

   Are you one who just doesn’t like to network? This book shows you how it can be fun and rewarding.

   Do you believe that personal networking is outmoded and unnecessary in a transparent world of process, procedure and technology? This book will shake you out of that mistaken belief.    Think you’re already a pretty good networker and there’s nothing you can learn from any book? You’ll be pleasantly surprised starting with the very first chapter.

   Let me be honest. I think I’m a pretty good networker. I credit much of the success I have enjoyed to the circle of friends, colleagues, associates and contacts I’ve developed around the world in all walks of life over more years than I care to remember. Yet I have found plenty of fresh insights in this book.

   Darcy is just the one to set it all out for us. From his high positions in government and business, to his training in psychology and travels all over the world, Darcy has the background and range of experience to peel off the layers of mystery and misunderstanding that have obscured successful networking for too long. And by studying, writing and lecturing on the topic for more than two decades, he knows how to reach his audience, to make the complex seem simple, and to make the painstaking follow-up and follow-through of networking actually seem enjoyable.

   While Darcy draws on an age-old fairy tale for inspiration, his lessons could not be more timely. In a world full of change and uncertainty, the reach and durability of your personal network are more important than ever. Careers are changing, businesses are merging and companies are restructuring. The world is shrinking and opening up but growing more complex. Believe me, time and time again you will find yourself calling upon—and sometimes leaning on—your network to get yourself back on track or to unearth exciting new opportunities. And your network will expect the same of you.

   But more important than all of this is the compelling link Darcy establishes between successful positive networking and personal happiness.

   I chose that last word carefully. Yes, networking is critical to career success. Yes, it can lead to an improved financial picture. But for me, the most rewarding aspect of networking is the personal happiness it has brought. My own life has been greatly enriched by the hundreds if not thousands of people from all backgrounds I have gotten to know and had an opportunity to help. It has been particularly satisfying to follow their careers and lives over the years, watching them grow and succeed or helping them bounce back from a loss or failure. And it's always been a comfort to have so many people to call upon for help and advice. I have done it many times!

   Positive networking can do much more than help you succeed; it can help you become a better, more giving person, a person who makes a real contribution to society and to all those around you. When all is said and done, that is going to be your legacy on this earth. Not what positions you held or how much money you made, but how you treated other people and how they remember you—from your own family, to those you worked with, to all those with whom you have come into contact. Whenever I speak to students at their commencements or in the classroom, I always make sure to tell them this.

   Great rewards can flow from positive networking and only some of them are about money and success. For me the outstanding achievement of Work the Pond! is that Darcy does not just tell us “how”—he tells us “why.”

   So read, learn, enjoy, act and start reaping the many wonderful benefits that come from positive networking.

Thomas J. Donohue
President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Washington, D.C.