In a world where everyone sends automated LinkedIn connection requests and hands out business cards at conferences, it feels like we've forgotten the real substance of building relationships. Yaron Flint (49) - an international expert in business development and corporate innovation, a lecturer in the executive programs at INSEAD, the Technion, and Reichman University, and author of the new book "Beyond Networking" - set out to clear things up and dismantle the illusion that connections are a matter of "luck."

In an in-depth interview, Yaron shares insights from 20 years of global work, and explains how you take an idea, a technology, or a person, and turn the connection between them into a strategic relationship that creates real value.

Breaking the Networking Myth (The Long Game) in His New Book

In his book "Beyond Networking," Yaron argues that the biggest mistake executives make in networking is treating it as an opportunistic move - something you do "along the way," thinking "what do I get out of this right now?" According to him, the book explores and tells the stories of people he considers "exceptional connectors," and they all agree on one principle: if you want to build long-term relationships, you can't enter a connection with an immediate self-interested mindset.

According to him, real networking is a strategic move - building a relationship that still has value in a year, or in five years. "People don't necessarily connect to the best idea or the most interesting person in the room. They connect to what they understand, what's relevant to them, and what they feel they have a reason to connect to." Many executives are busy building the story they want to tell, instead of thinking about the story the other side needs to hear. The moment you walk into a meeting with only an immediate interest in mind - that's not networking, that's a negotiation that started before the relationship was even formed. Real networking is based on caring and giving value to the other person, without thinking about "what's in it for me."

The Difference Between HR and a Strategic Connector

While HR often deals with "matching" existing demand to existing supply, an excellent "connector" knows how to see a connection others haven't yet spotted. Yaron demonstrates this through a project he led at the automotive company Continental: he connected technology from the world of metals to tire lifecycle monitoring, in order to support a circular economy. The challenge wasn't just spotting this unnatural connection, but convincing a German engineering company to invest in it with no regulatory obligation to do so, while at the same time convincing a startup to enter an industry completely new to it. "That's the difference between knowing a lot of people and being a connector: knowing how to turn the connection into something both sides genuinely want to happen."


The Magic of Crossing Lines (Cross-Sector) and Managing a Career at 50+

One of the burning topics that came up in the interview relates directly to people over 50. In today's job market, people 50+ often experience a crisis of lost professional identity, especially if they're let go from management positions. The "golden cage" of a senior salary is cracking, and the job market is changing fast because of the AI revolution.

In his book, Yaron talks about the power created by connecting generations and industries (cross-industry). He describes how a veteran operations manager from a traditional industry can teach a young AI entrepreneur how decisions are really made in a giant organization, and where technology meets the factory floor. Conversely, the young entrepreneur opens a window onto new technologies and models the 50+ manager never knew.

This is exactly the solution to the age-40 and age-50 crisis: shifting from linear thinking to a "portfolio career." Instead of depending on a single employer, experienced veterans have to act as "connectors" and experts: offering advice, connecting entrepreneurs to corporations, and plugging into different projects - which lets them increase their Life ROI, stay professionally optimistic, and put their experience to work as a considerable force.

Yaron noted that he encounters many friends over 50 who are searching for meaning, and don't realize how immensely valuable the knowledge they've accumulated can be to novice entrepreneurs: "Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can give someone isn't advice, money, or an opportunity - it's connecting them to someone who's already walked the road they're just starting on." That understanding - that years of accumulated work experience creates a network of relationships for "the long game" - is critical for surviving in the new world of work. Years of knowledge and experience in building trust and complex collaborations are advantages AI still doesn't know how to replace. Working in environments like his community creates a network of sensors (community as an intelligence system), connecting organizational needs to quality candidates in real time, even for people over 50.

Avoiding the Tactics Trap and "Innovation Theater"

  • The escape into tactics: Many executives lose focus inside large organizations and retreat into scattered tactical execution because it's easier. Yaron's solution is the focus question: "What am I actually trying to achieve with this action, and is it really bringing me closer to the goal?" Strategy is also the ability to say "no" to opportunities that don't serve the central objective.

  • Innovation theater: To distinguish between a corporation that's just doing PR for innovation (innovation theater) and one that's genuinely embedding technology, Yaron looks for the answer to one simple question: what happens the day after the pilot succeeds? Who takes ownership? Who funds it? An organization that knows how to run 50 pilots but has no operational rollout plan is a red warning light for entrepreneurs. "An organization that can't answer the question 'how do we move forward from here?' doesn't really know how to embed innovation," he concludes.

Rapid-Fire With Yaron Flint

  • The first thing he does when spotting a potential partnership in a room: Tries to understand what each side is looking for, and what needs to happen for the connection between them to actually work.

  • A model every executive must know: Theory of Constraints - understanding where the real bottleneck is.

  • A book that shaped his business thinking: "The Go-Giver" - reinforced the idea that networking starts with creating value for others.

    • An alternative career: "Something that still connects people, ideas, and opportunities. I'm not sure I'd manage to escape it."