Picture it:
There’s two guys, and both have the same good start in life - they come from good families, have good friends, and graduate from good universities.
But…
While the first guy goes on to have an incredible career, the second becomes a “bum”, who flits from dead-end job to dead-end job, never using the skills he knows he should be using.
Now, here’s the plot-twist:
They’re the same guy!
Specifically, they’re both Jeff Olson, who wrote the book The Slight Edge. As he explains, there was one simple difference between him being a winner and him being a bum:
Both Jeffs tried to build good habits.
But while “beach-bum” Jeff didn’t stick at them, successful Jeff did.
His point:
Tiny actions, done everyday, lead to life-changing differences over time.
And nowhere is this more true than networking.
From the comments I read, you’d think networking is like drawing blood from a stone.
But really?
Networking is incredibly easy… as long as you keep up with a few simple habits.
What are these habits?
Well, there’s a few, but today I’d like to focus on just one.
Let me introduce you to the man I got it from:
🌪️ The busiest man (& best networker) in the world?
Jesse Itzler is… well, a beast.
He’s a CEO, a rapper, and author of best-selling books. He’s lived with monks, trained with navy seals, runs ultramarathons for fun, and is the part-owner of an NBA team. On top of this, he’s also a huge family man.
So as you might imagine, he’s a kinda busy guy.
And yet, somehow, Jesse finds the time (& energy) to grow and maintain an incredible network.
Question is…
How?
Here’s his secret:
🤟 3 C’s in 3 minutes
Everyday, Jesse either congratulates, compliments or consoles. (taking him ~3 mins to do).
Let’s break ‘em down:
🥳 Congratulate:
Everyday, someone you know has finally achieved something they’ve invested buckets of blood, sweat and tears into. But the sad part? Chances are, not even their spouses will congratulate them!
And that’s where you come in:
Send them a text, or a message, or an email to give them props. (N.B Don’t just be lazy by liking their LinkedIn post - put some effort in).
This is super easy to start doing. You’re probably already on LinkedIn a few times a week. The next time you see someone switch jobs, start a new role, or share good news, send them a short DM to say congratulations.
👍 Compliment:
Know what else happens everyday?
You (yes, you!) are benefitting from the advice, lessons or help you got from someone in the past. So, why not thank them for it?
- “Hey Tim, you probably don’t remember, but back in 2019 you told me to take a writing workshop because it’d be good for my career. Long story short, I signed up for it, and these days I’m writing my own newsletter - all thanks to your advice. I just want to say, thanks!”
Because it’s genuine, specific, and “out of the blue”, I can guarantee they’ll remember it for years to come. Make sure it’s specific — saying “Two years ago you told me X and I did Y as a result. I’ll never forget it. Thanks!” is much better than just “Thanks for being a good friend!”
(p.s. Often, what stops us from saying ‘thank you’ is thinking that we’ve missed our chance. But actually, a delayed thank-you (sometimes years later) is better, because with hindsight you can appreciate the value of what that person’s done for you.)
This also takes just a minute to do. Think of an ex-boss you value, an old friend/family member you haven’t spoken to in a lil’ bit, or a content creator who adds to your life. Say thanks!
😣 Console
If you have someone in your life that's grieving or going through a tough time, reach out.
It’s not just nice knowing someone else cares. It’s when they need to hear from you the most.
Now…
Do you need to Congratulate, Compliment or Console everyday? Well, it depends how “tight” you want your network to be.
My suggestion?
📅 Pick a networking day
Baby steps first:
Try the 3Cs out one day a week, and make it a habit. Choose a “3C day”, then pick one person you can congratulate, compliment or console.
Do this for a year, and watch what happens.
I’d be very surprised if you didn’t have an extra 52 people thinking a lot more highly of you.
And if you did enjoy reading this email…
(I don’t ask you for a lot….rather, these emails are expensive to send out, yet I keep them free and don’t clutter them with ads)
Do me a favor and either:
- Tell a friend about these emails. Here’s a link to share the series so they get the next one, or tell them to go to Coached.com to sign up.
- Engage with me on any of my recent LinkedIn posts — if you like what I write here, you’ll enjoy what I write there too.
- Leave a review for Coached.
Stuff like this helps and makes all the efforts feel worth it — thank you.
