The Master Networker

by David Berkowitz

I was writing my weekly newsletter yesterday about everything wrong with networking when I received a devastating Facebook message via a friend: the master networker and more masterful mensch Luke Haseloff had passed in his sleep. It was rattling, to say the least. I almost scrapped the newsletter entirely but wound up writing this addendum to it that went out this morning. Given how many mutual friends Luke and I have in common (I'd write "had," but I'm not convinced the end of one's life means the friendship ends too), some of you may appreciate it, or at least may appreciate humoring my sharing it here. I checked my contacts files, and there are 40 people in my address book who I met through Luke, directly or at one of his events.

Here's the newsletter excerpt:

An addendum: This week's update is dedicated to the memory of Luke Haseloff, a recently departed friend who was a consummate networker; he also was mindful of how much others disliked "networking" - including those who would attend his events. In an email he sent what must have been just hours before his passing, he wrote, "Many of us don't like 'networking' either. I obviously enjoy networking. I prefer other terms for it, but I love meeting/seeing/connecting with people. But many attendees do not relish networking as much as I do. I believe they still come because everyone meets thoughtful and proactive professionals who can teach us something and/or help move our careers forward."

It is especially rough to send this particular newsletter out this week. I wrote it days before he passed, and as I wrote this, he was the one person I was thinking about. It was Luke's feedback that I most wanted after I sent this. And now, he's not here to give his feedback. Instead of having an exchange with him, I am forced to wonder what he would have thought about it, and yet I will never get an answer.

There are thousands of people he touched and brought together over the years, and it is a very strange world to wake up to where he is not here to be that nexus for all of us.

To you, Luke, my friend: If there's email in the great beyond, I'd imagine it's a feature of hell and not heaven, so you probably aren't seeing this. Still, should you get this, know that you are leaving a great, big hole here back on Earth, but the world is so much smaller for so many people thanks to you. Your memory will live on through those connections that you forged, and those connections will reap dividends eternally. Thanks, Luke. I hope you're not spending so much time on email and much more enjoying the splendid view. You can now make the world beyond a little smaller too.

Photo by Jason Gardner