I was in eighth standard when my grandfather was on his deathbed. The house was quiet, filled with family and an odd stillness that only comes when everyone is waiting for the inevitable. He looked at me one last time and said, “Beta, char acche dost rakhna zindagi mein.” Four good friends. That’s all he said.
At that age, I didn’t understand.
A few months later, sitting with my grandmother, I asked her what he meant. She was not educated, yet she carried the kind of wisdom life gives through observation, not books. She smiled and said, “If you want four friends to carry you to your final destination, you must build friendship with four thousand. Only then will four remain who will carry you with respect, without any excuse of season, working day, or festival day.”
It sounded simple then, but the meaning grew deeper as I did.
Today we talk about networking, leadership, and professional relationships as if they are separate worlds. But the truth is, they are the same lesson my grandmother spoke of — in life and at work.
We meet thousands of people over our careers. We exchange cards, connect on LinkedIn, attend meetings, share panels, and chase followers, likes, and impressions. We count people instead of connecting with them. But the real test of networking is not in your analytics; it is in your absence. Who speaks for you when you are not in the room? Who stands beside you when things go wrong? Who shows up even when it is inconvenient?
Real networking is not built on platforms but on presence. It is not about how many know you but how many trust you.
So, build relationships for people, not for projects. Connect beyond functions, connect with hearts. When you invest in four thousand with sincerity, four will always lift you when you fall.
In the end, whether in life or leadership, your journey will not be defined by how many people know your name. It will be defined by the few who still stand beside it when you are no longer in the room.