Article · 9 min read

Be a Giver: Think of Others and Get Ahead

Ameet Ranadive · Medium Free Beginner

This is the discipline that keeps an alumni network from going cold: show up for other people first. Ranadive distills Adam Grant's research into founder-usable moves (five-minute favors, reactivating dormant ties from your cohort, seeking advice rather than issuing asks) and names the trap, the pure giver who never asks for help back. For an Indian founder whose highest-trust network is a handful of program batchmates, being the one who reliably answers is what makes the deposit worth withdrawing from later.

• Givers build broader, more durable networks because people want them to win; the return shows up months later, not on the same email
• Reactivate dormant ties: a batchmate you helped once will reply years later, which is why staying warmly present in the channel beats going quiet
• Balance matters: successful givers also ask clearly when they need help, so giving first is a strategy, not a vow of self-neglect