A Letter from Yenson for GenieFriends

[Reposting my letter for GenieFriends: a regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.]

Contributor of the Week

Hello! I am?Yenson She. Many of you may already know me from the?Secret Dinner?last Thursday (30 Mar 2023). I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Amid the recent Cambrian explosion of AI developments, what I found even more exciting are the genuine connections and the generous exchange of ideas between like-minded individuals at the dinner tables. I very much hope to be a part of the fantastic experience at April's Secret Dinner — see you there!

A bit of background about myself: my career has spanned different industries and roles, from management consulting to corporates, to tech scaling and start-ups. I’ve recently developed a passion for exploring the relationship between continuous learning and the mass adoption of the latest technology. I am keeping an?IG blog?to keep track of my explorations.?

Omakase Sharing

A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it's about?utilizing a CRM system… for personal networking.?

Why I built a CRM for networking

As someone who has always struggled with being passive and introverted, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make new friends or stay connected with those I already know. It's not that I don't want to be social, but it's often easier to retreat into my own world rather than reach out to others. This is why one of my new year's resolutions for 2023 (yes, I haven’t given up yet!) is to build a personal networking system and develop a network of 50 people with whom I can hold meaningful and genuine conversations.

The pain point I’m trying to resolve

Over the past 3 years of COVID, I have become even more passive and introverted to making new friends or staying connected with those I already know. I often heard complaints from friends that I only reached out when I needed help, which made me feel guilty and ashamed. By using this CRM system to track my interactions with others and mark down interesting points, I was able to gradually build up my network and become more proactive in my relationships.

How my CRM is structured

My strategy is to develop a wide pool of 250 people and then narrow it down to the 50 with whom I have a deeper connection. I wanted to create a network of individuals who would challenge me, inspire me, and support me through life's ups and downs. For familiarity, I picked “ClickUp” to help me with this (I swear, this is not a product marketing advertorial!)?

The mechanism for building the system is simple:?

• Whenever I interact with anyone on my list, I mark down the date (last engagement), as well as any interesting points that were discussed.?
• I also categorize each person with 4 levels of closeness, that affect the frequency of engagement
• Then I set a due date, birthday and recurring cadence for the next interaction. (this push notification as a reminder is CRUCIAL!)

The result

The result of using this CRM to build my personal networking system has been nothing short of amazing. In just three months, I have been able to build a list of 130 people with whom I have had over 15 meaningful or even heartwarming conversations. I have made dozens of new friends and gotten closer to those I already knew but had lost touch with.?

At the end of the day, technology is only a tool, but it has enabled me to become more proactive, friendly, and foster genuine relationships. By taking small steps each day and using this tool to track my progress, I have been able to overcome my introverted tendencies and develop a network of supportive, genuine, inspiring individuals who make my life brighter.

Rapid Fire Recs

Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media & happenings.

Something to read: The Biggest Bluff?by Maria Konnikova?- Poker is about 50% luck and 50% skills, if you can master the game of poker, you can master the game of life.

Something to watch: Psycho-Pass, Japanese cyberpunk psychological anime?- Psycho-Pass is an anime series that explores themes related to the meaning of life, artificial intelligence (AI), and moral justice. In the show, an advanced AI technology known as the Sybil System that creates a measure of people’s mental states and determines if someone has a high risk of criminal behavior.

Something to listen to: The Prof G Show by Scott Galloway?- It is a weekly podcast answering listener questions on business, money, and tech. I particularly like his sharing of his stoic life value by the end of the show.??

Want a further conversation with our CotW Yenson? Find him through the platforms?here!