Contacts

A contact in People Work is someone with whom you want to have intentional, regular professional interactions. Some may be people you reach out to only once a year, but unlike other apps, People Work isn't meant for collecting contacts; you need an intention for each person. That's what LinkedIn or your contacts app is for! People Work is about what you want to do with the most important people in your network.

A Different Approach to Contacts

Other apps treat contacts differently, and we'll call this out so you can see the difference:

• LinkedIn wants you to collect as many contacts as you can because it sells ads, and you are the product.
• Rolodex tools such as Dex and Clay want you to collect as many contacts as you can because you feel good when that happens! And the more, the merrier, right? Right?
• Cold calling/CRM platforms want you to collect as many contacts as you can so you can spam them with email after acting like their friend through AI-generated slop that "warms the relationship up". Gross!

So let's not think that way. That way only leads to disconnected, desperate people as they spray out slopified conversations to strangers. That's not you. You're different.

Start With the People You Already Know

Think instead about ten to twenty people in your network you want to connect with over email, text, phone, or preferably in person. Start there. Don't boil the ocean, but instead take action with the tribe you already have.

As you develop these relationships, you'll find which ones are mutually supportive, and you'll lean into those. You'll also find a few that don't feel quite right, and you'll deprioritize those.

Pretty soon, when you walk into a meetup, you'll know the types of people you're looking for. Instead of giving everyone your card, you talk to one person, see how you can help, and, after the meetup, add them to People Work and truly follow up.

This kind of mentality is how you get extraordinary results toward your professional goals. While everyone else is in a race to the bottom with their fake friend, Slopasaurus Rex, you're having purposeful, intentional, regular interactions with a tribe of people who are committed to mutual support.