How to Help Without the Hassle
You’re an executive who’s worked hard to get to your position in life.
One of two things is likely true about your success and your current role:
The outcomes you’ve delivered have led to progressively higher levels of responsibility. Previous leaders have asked you to join them as they’ve moved on to new companies.
You’ve left previous roles on your own, or have faced a rift/layoff. You’ve braved the job change journey filled with networking and online applications.
Either way, your success has been dependent on the people around you, in addition to your own efforts.
Fast forward to today. ⏩ You’re in your shiny, important role.
Because of the level of your position, you get hit up daily with networking requests and asks for intros to hiring managers at your company. 🙄
You’re super busy, but you’re not a jerk.
You’d love to help others, but the concept feels like a burdensome risk that you just don’t have time for, especially when you don’t really know the people asking.
🤔 Which requests do you accept? How do you help without negatively impacting your reputation or draining your precious personal time?
Here’s a quick 3-step framework to help you streamline the process of helping others.
WHY
Remember where you came from. You either know how much someone helped you by bringing you into their org, or you know how hard it is to network when you’re out of work.
You want to give back.
You never know how your kindness may be returned in the future.
The best time to network is before you need it.
WHO
You never know who someone else knows that may be helpful to you. Executives at or near your level might be a smart choice, in general, but don’t dismiss someone as unimportant just based on their title.
Look for people who don’t come with a hard agenda. When their messaging speaks of curiosity about you, your role, or your company versus an immediate request to get an intro for a job, you’re on the right track to meeting someone collaborative and more than self-interested.
HOW (Step-by-step)
Reply and suggest a time-boxed chat. 15 minutes is a good starting point.
On the call, ask them to tell you a little about themselves and their current situation.
While you’re listening to their answer, think of ways you can help them.
Ask them how you can help them.
Be honest about the level of support you’re willing to give. If you feel comfortable introducing them to someone else in your network, say so.
If you’re not the right person to help, simply say, “It’s been great meeting you. I'll need to think about how I can help you. I will keep you in mind if anything comes up.”
Above all, reply to the request and either decline or entertain the ask. Pay it forward with a genuine response.
Want help networking for yourself?
