Generosity: Adam Smith was right!

We're working toward a theory of connecting that, if followed, will deliver more result than traditional networking approaches.

So far we have established networking as connecting, and the process guided by the mental metaphor of farming rather than hunting.

Adam Smith is widely quoted for the concept of the invisible hand. Many have interpreted this to justify their primal urges to acquire money and wealth. Greed is good, they think Smith said. Go ahead, steal as much as you can. Run over everybody in the process. Manipulate and abuse everyone around you to get what you want.

Here's what Smith, as quoted in Wikipedia, actually wrote:

Many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was not part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it.

Sorry, I couldn't find the page reference when I needed it, but you can go to the Wikipedia article and follow a link to the complete text.

What Smith actually meant was that people, acting in their own self interest, but from a spirit of generosity and good will, will actually do what is best for the whole society.

It doesn't say that greed is good. It says that people acting in their own interest can do the good of society.

What this means for us as connectors, is that we need to reach out to people with their good in mind. If we help them we help ourselves and we help everybody. If the invisible hand led us to do what is in the interest of others, we are acting in our own self-interest.

I'm trying to improve people's connecting. Is this helpful?

Connecting is the life's blood of all my professional activities. It makes them go. It informs my entrepreneurial strategy. For my ideas on entrepreneurship go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com.

It makes Your Stop for Real Estate , my real estate referral business, go. See www.yourstopforrealestate.blogspot.com.

It powers my approach to writing. See www.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com where you can read my mystery for free, download it for free or buy it from Amazon.com more cheaply than you can print it.

It fuels my publishing enterprise, By and for Writersgo. See www.byandforwriters.blogspot.com where you can get a poem or a short story published.For other ideas on entrepreneurship, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com.