Build a support circle before you need a big favor
Support grows through ordinary contact, not just moments of crisis. Maintaining a few relationships can matter more than collecting a large number of contacts.
Reconnect without an agenda
Send a sincere check-in that leaves room for the other person’s experience. Avoid making every conversation about your latest goal.
Ask for a specific kind of help
Listening, advice and practical assistance are different requests. Say which would be helpful instead of expecting someone to guess.
Respect capacity in both directions
Offer what you can reliably provide and accept that others have limits. Reciprocity is not a transaction that must balance immediately.
Try this today
Arrange one short catch-up this week and ask a question you have time to hear answered.
Have a question or a correction? Contact the editorial team.