Last week, I joined the Mopho crew at Mashable’s SummerMash SF stop which prompted me to consider the evening as a whole and procure from it, lessons that I have learned over the past few years in networking as a startup. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments as to whether you find truths in some of these insights as well, if you completely disagree, or if you have thoughts of your own to share.

First and foremost, the world is a small place. The relationships forged at a party like SummerMash are not fleeting occurrences. They are friends, colleagues, and mentors that you will hopefully continue to develop repertories with over time. Working in PR especially, I am often reminded of the immediacy of a conversation, the superficial motivation to meet someone simply to say that you now “know” them, and the consistent pressure to sell ideas and products. It is a strategy perhaps successful for some, but no less disturbing to me as an on-looker.

As a young professional, I find myself observing these interactions and vowing to change not only this perception, but this process. There are so many wonderful individuals in this industry that do not behave this way, and that understand this small world mentality. We should strive to remain transparent and speak as peers. In the burgeoning world of startups especially, no one is going anywhere. If you are not given the opportunity to forge a relationship at one party, there will be many more.

Second, the barrier between personal and professional is broken. This is something that was echoed in my SXSW ‘10 panel this year, but given the influx of contacts initiated via social networks, we can no longer “escape” back into our personal lives. As startups, especially, we often find ourselves so enamored by the work that we are doing, that we literally become our work. There is much debate on whether or not this is actually necessary to succeed, but I would argue that stepping outside of your professional boundaries and encouraging the growth of unique personal attributes can actually be used to your advantage.

This is not to say, exploit your personal talents and ambitions for the success of your professional career, so please do not misunderstand. Instead, I am merely suggesting that we re-think this separation. Being able to discuss interests outside of the workplace may not only improve your work/life balance, but can also provide more substance to relationships with clients, with colleagues, with journalists, etc. By being yourself and expressing your unique insights or quirky characteristics, work becomes not simply a place of professional encounters and milestones, but a place to grow out of, and nurture your own personal growth and goals.

And finally, honesty is often overlooked. I personally find this to be one of the hardest practices to adopt as I despise not knowing an answer, or being perceived as unprepared. But, admitting that you do not know what something means or you haven’t met the person everyone is talking about is not the end of the world. In fact, being honest and asking for help will not only benefit your lack of knowledge on this particular subject, but says something much more about you as a person.

Not knowing is natural. As I have only recently begun my professional career, for example, there are many things I do not know. And as hard as I try to prepare, to research, or to ask questions, I will still not know. Overcoming this fear of “not knowing” will likely be a long journey, but is something I truly believe in. It is not a weakness, but instead, a strength to trust that your community will respect you even more for your honesty, and will help you learn what you do not know.

I consider myself so incredibly lucky to be on this professional path, working with talented individuals, constantly meeting inspiring guys and gals, and being able to travel to places that I love dearly. The startup community is truly unique and I look forward to many more lessons learned and problems solved.

BTW, if you’d like to view photos from SummerMash SF, check out Ken Yeung’s full album HERE or guest’s mobile uploads HERE.