The most useful networking formula I know: for every three to five things you do for someone, you can ask for one thing. Most people get it backwards. They open with what they need, then wonder why their network feels transactional.

Make introductions. Share what you're learning. Celebrate people's wins where others can see it. Solve the problem they mentioned in passing. Open a door before they have to knock. Then, when you actually need something, people don't just respond. They jump, because you've already shown them you're worth investing in.

I want to be clear about what this isn't. It isn't literal counting. Nobody should be running a ledger on their friendships. The ratio is a mental model to keep yourself honest about what you're asking for versus what you're giving, and to build a service-first reflex. The people who give first build the strongest networks. The people who keep score build the weakest. Stop keeping score. Start keeping promises.