As startups and ambition collide in the UAE’s business scene, Dr. Oudi Abouchacra, business networking expert, makes a counter-intuitive case: networking works best when you stop trying to extract value and start building trust.
In a region where deals are made quickly and relationships move fast, business networking is often misunderstood as a performance sport—perfect pitches, sharp introductions, and a relentless exchange of business cards. Dr. Oudi Abouchacra argues that this very instinct is what undermines meaningful opportunity.
A performance coach, speaker, and founder of Inspired Results, Dr. Abouchacra has spent more than 25 years studying how people connect under pressure. A US- and Canadian board-certified chiropractor by training, he came to networking not as a natural extrovert but, by his own admission, as someone who was “terrified” of it. That discomfort eventually became the foundation of his work. His books include Work Your Network with the 4Cs, Fear Forward, and Eatology.
“One of the biggest myths in networking,” he says, “is that you need to talk more to be effective.” In reality, he explains, introverts often have a hidden advantage. They listen. They ask questions. And in environments crowded with people eager to impress, genuine curiosity becomes memorable.
Dr. Abouchacra is clear: networking fails the moment it becomes transactional. He describes what he calls the “networking disconnect”. This is when professionals show up to connect but immediately start selling. Most people in the room, he points out, are not there to buy; they’re there to relate. When the priority shifts from relationship to outcome, trust collapses before it has a chance to form.
This insight resonates deeply in the UAE, where business cultures are layered, diverse, and highly relational. Senior leaders, Dr. Abouchacra notes, can sense immediately when someone is chasing opportunity rather than connection. “Pull back your excitement,” he advises. “Warmth lasts longer than urgency.”
Building Credibility
At the heart of his work is a distinction many professionals overlook: competence versus credibility. Competence may open doors—your qualifications, your expertise, your ability to solve a problem. Credibility, however, is what keeps you in the room. It is communicated not through credentials, but through presence: eye contact, listening, curiosity, and restraint. People decide within moments whether you are genuinely engaged or simply waiting to speak.
Dr. Abouchacra’s ideas are not theoretical. He traces many of his own opportunities back to small, human moments—a conversation at a networking event, helping someone without expectation, staying connected. A recent high-profile speaking engagement in Qatar, he recalls, was not the result of a pitch but a chain of authentic interactions over time. “If you examine how opportunities appear in your life,” he says, “you’ll usually find a human being standing at the door.”
While digital networking has become normalized post-pandemic, he cautions against assuming it replaces in-person connection. Both matter. The medium may change, but the evaluation criteria do not. Whether online or face-to-face, people are still asking the same questions: Can I trust you? Do you understand me? Are you clear about what you do? And who do you connect me to?
Ultimately, Dr. Abouchacra’s message is quietly radical for a business world obsessed with speed and scale. The fastest way to build influence, he suggests, is to slow down and value people before possibility, and trust before transaction.
The 4Cs of Effective Networking
• Competence: Your ability to deliver results and solve problems.
• Credibility: Personal trust. How safe and authentic you present yourself.
• Clarity: How clearly you communicate what you do and how you help.
• Connectivity: The strength and relevance of your relationships and network.
People assess all four—often unconsciously—before turning to you as a trusted expert.
THREE RULES FOR NETWORKING WHEN YOU HATE NETWORKING
1. Set your intention before you enter: Decide whether you’re there to be curious, present, and human (not just productive).
2. Resist distraction: Put the phone away and remind yourself why you’re there. Presence builds trust faster than polish.
3. Practice one skill at a time: In one conversation, focus on listening; in another, on clarity or confidence. Every interaction is a learning opportunity.
