I wrote Never Eat Alone, a #1 New York Times bestseller on networking, and people still ask me: "How do you build a network when you know 0 people?" Here's my answer:

I wrote Never Eat Alone and built one of the strongest networks in my industry. If I lost all of my network today and had to start over, I won't go to networking events or fire off connections on LinkedIn. Here's what I would do 🧵

Start with the people who already know you: - Your family - Your friends - Your colleagues - Even your doctor Each of them knows people you've never met.

So ask them to introduce you to someone doing the kind of work you want to do. And when you meet that person, don't ask for anything. Find out what they're working on and what problem they're trying to solve. Then help with that, expecting nothing back.

That shows them you care before you've asked for a single thing. So when you need something later, you're asking someone you've already helped. And people remember who helped them first.

If there's someone you've lost touch with and it's been years, here's how to reach out without it feeling awkward. My method is what I call 5 packets of generosity 🧵

Build the relationship before you need it. Then it's there when you do need something.

If you want to get to know the people who can actually help you, do this before you ever reach out. It has never failed me, and it works everywhere on LinkedIn or at a conference, because the basics are the same. Here's how it works. 🧵

If you want to get promoted faster than everyone around you, give before you ask. That's exactly how I became one of the youngest CMOs at Deloitte. Here's what it looks like day to day 🧵

I'd throw the dinner myself. 6 to 10 people, casual, at my place. What matters is the format: everyone shares one thing they're struggling with, personally and professionally. I go first.

First, I'd sit down and write out 25 names. The 25 people who could actually change my trajectory this year, the ones three steps ahead of where I want to go. That list becomes my whole job.

Then I'd land one anchor guest. The most connected person on that list who I already know, even loosely. Because the moment they say yes to a dinner I'm hosting, everyone else says yes too. That's the whole trick.

When someone's brave enough to go first, everyone else follows. That's the vulnerability that turns total strangers into a real tribe by the end of the night. Do this once a month, and in three months you're the connector, without ever having to network.