I connected with someone who’s successful and super busy. During our meeting, I asked a favor. I was thankful that he gave me time on his calendar and had low expectations of his doing me the favor. But I asked anyway because the answer is no 100% of the time you don’t ask. He agreed to do it, but I still figured he wouldn’t.

To my surprise, he did. It took my nudging him a bit, but he came through. We caught up afterward, and I asked him why he took the time to do something for me. I expected some deep reasoning, but it was quite simple. He said most people who ask him for something never follow up. When they don’t, he knows they’re not serious. I took action by nudging him, so he knew I was serious.

My takeaway is that having a bias toward action and following up with people in a thoughtful manner can set you apart. Most people don’t take this extra step to see things through. It’s something simple but powerful that anyone can do.