‘Tis the Perfect Season to Make A Short List of Key Connections

David Ackert is making a list and checking it twice — but he’s no Santa Claus. The gifts he brings are practical, powerful insights for professionals who want to grow their businesses and advance their careers.

As co-founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, PipelinePlus, David challenges the long-held belief that success depends on building a massive network of connections. In his view, quantity is a distraction. What truly matters is cultivating a small, carefully curated list of 9 to 30 “high-value” relationships — the people who have the greatest likelihood of helping you reach your goals. Everyone else? Send them a Christmas card.

David is the author of The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most, an Amazon bestseller and Gold Winner of the 2025 Nonfiction Book Awards.

This week on Monday Morning Radio, he explains how to identify and prioritize the relationships that matter most, how to gracefully prune an overgrown network, and how to create meaningful new connections — even with influential strangers.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: David Ackert, PipelinePlus  
Posted: December 15, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 46:48
Episode: 14.28

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