So much of what we accomplish in the workplace relies on building relationships and having the trust of our colleagues….

When you’re an interesting person, people want to connect with you. They want to work with you, hang out with you, or work for you.
Candidly, being interesting is a major advantage in both your personal and professional lives.

When you’ve got a great professional network, you hear about good opportunities before others do. When you need to get in touch with somebody important, you have no trouble getting a warm introduction. When you travel, you’ve often got a friendly contact who can show you around or help you find somewhere to stay.

Exactly one year ago, I moved to San Francisco completely on my own. For years I had romanticized what it would be like to live in San Francisco–my manifest destiny.
I had the vision perfectly crystallized in my head: I would eat fresh kale salad every day. I would spend my weekends hiking mountains overlooking the ocean. I would embrace the spirit of community that I felt every time I had travelled West in the past. And finally, finally, I would be in the very heart of the action in the Silicon Valley tech community.
There was only one major obstacle: I knew no one.

Fall 1996. A young Chris Fralic is selling software for Oracle. He’s not sure what he wants to do next, but he’s always been curious about venture capital. And then some unusual magic happens — a friend offers to introduce him to Kevin Compton, a vaunted name in VC. To his surprise, they talk on the phone for over an hour, and Fralic not only walks away with a comprehensive download on the industry but a thesis on networking he’s adhered to ever since: The best way to be highly influential is to be human to everyone you meet.
Fast forward to today, Fralic is a successful VC himself, responsible for First Round’s investments in Warby Parker, Roblox, HotelTonight and Adaptly among others. When asked what’s made his career possible, he’ll tell you outright it’s the relationships — built deliberately over many years. This might sound like a common response, but among his peers, he’s acknowledged to be a world-class super-connector with rarefied expertise. Known for helping launch the famed TEDTalks (this is his 24th year attending TED), and a landmark Forbes piece on nailing email introductions, Fralic still responds thoughtfully to over 10,000 emails every year.

Your big break won’t come until those who can give to you know you exist.
Some people think telling everyone how great they are or bombarding strangers with LinkedIn connection requests is the path to the career of their dreams, but they’re wrong.
While I believe your work is the key to your personal brand, often your work doesn’t get noticed by people outside your own company — which tends to be where the career opportunities you want are to be found.

I have zero interest in what most people think of as networking.
So I was caught off guard recently when a colleague said to me, “You’re so good at networking — how do you do it?”

For years, I struggled with efficiently and effectively tackling my e-mail inbox. As I entered the “real” world, I knew that I couldn’t have hundreds of e-mails sitting unread for weeks at a time.

Most people see email as a strictly transactional tool, using it only when they need something or owe someone something. That’s exactly why you should use it to stand out.
Taking a moment to send these seven emails every week can help you strengthen your connections, stay top of mind as opportunities come up, and learn about industry trends.

The beauty of a cold tweet is that it sets up the perfect opportunity to do a lukewarm email. So, what exactly is “cold-tweeting” and “lukewarm email?”