Habits Top Performers Never Skip
Now that you’ve reflected on your year and set clear goals, it’s time to look at the habits that turn those goals into real progress.
These aren’t just personal routines like planning your day or exercising.
The habits that change your career are the ones that strengthen your relationships.
Most people assume career growth is slow and steady. But top performers understand something very different:
Relationships grow on an exponential curve, and that curve is powered by small, consistent actions over time.
Let’s break it down.
How Relationships Really Grow
Every new relationship starts slow. Trust builds one small moment at a time, and the early wins require a lot of effort. But if you keep showing up and being helpful, something powerful starts to happen. The relationship begins to compound.
Conversations get richer.
Your advice becomes more valuable.
The effort required for each “win” drops because the foundation is stronger.
And as your number of strong relationships grows, the value of your network expands even faster. Each connection amplifies the next.
People talk. They make introductions. They pass trust from one person to another.
That’s the network effect, and it’s one of the most overlooked advantages in a career.
But it only works if you build the right habits.
Habit #1: Always Make the First Move
Most people wait for a reason to reach out. They treat relationships like tennis… serve, return, repeat. If the other person doesn’t return the ball, they stop playing.
This slows everything down.
Top Performers don’t wait.
They take the initiative, again and again, by offering something helpful.
→ A resource with a specific insight highlighted.
→ A video with a timestamp that ties to the person’s interests.
→ A short note that says, “Thought of you when I saw this, especially the part at 10:22.”
These small, thoughtful touches show real care. They’re personal, not generic, and they make the other person feel seen.
The key habit here is simple:
Act as if it’s always your move.
Habit #2: Offer Helpful Conversations
People already have more content than they can handle. What they don’t have is someone who listens closely and talks through their goals, questions, and challenges.
A simple line like:
“Hey Emma, I see a lot of interesting ideas in my role. What kinds of things are you focused on right now? If I know your priorities, I can share things that actually help.”
That one question can open the door to a valuable conversation. When people feel understood, they lean in. This habit builds deeper trust than any article you could send.
It turns you from someone who “shares information” into someone who helps them think.
Habit #3: Make 15% Bids
Over time, most relationships get stuck inside the same safe set of topics. You talk about the same project, the same issues, the same work.
But strong relationships evolve.
A 15% bid is a small step outside the usual pattern. It’s a gentle way of widening the relationship without taking a big risk.
A personal question… A new topic… A small story you’ve never shared.
These small expansions allow the relationship to deepen naturally. They move you from “someone I work with” to “someone I trust.”
Habit #4: Prioritize the People Who Matter Most
As your network grows, you simply can’t invest equally in everyone. That’s why I recommend making a Protemoi List, your list of “first among equals.”
Pick about ten people you want to focus on during this season. These could be clients, referral sources, or even internal colleagues. The list doesn’t need to be perfect, and it will change over time.
Once you have your list, set aside fifteen minutes a week to take action.
Choose your three Most Important Things (MITs) for the week.
Write them down.
Do them.
Review them next week and choose three more.
It doesn’t look dramatic in the moment, but these small weekly deposits add up in a big way. It’s the relationship version of compounding interest.
The Hardest Habit: Keep Going Even When It’s Quiet
Not every offer gets a reply. Not every bid opens a new door. Not every idea lands the way you hope.
And that’s okay.
Relationship growth rewards effort, not perfection. Some weeks, your actions will fall flat. Other weeks, you’ll see things move quickly. And sometimes, the payoff comes months, or even years, later.
The top performers simply keep showing up. They trust the curve, even when they can’t see the results yet.
That consistency is what separates steady careers from exponential ones.
These are the habits that build long-term advantage.
Small moves, done again and again, until your network starts working for you.
Mo
P.S. If you want the full picture of how relationships compound, and why your network becomes more valuable with every connection, the video breaks it down step-by-step.
→ Watch the full breakdown here