The Five-Minute Favor: The Art of Paying It Forward

Sometimes a mere five minutes is all it takes to make a big difference for someone in your networks.

Spending this little time out of your day by being kind and providing something worthy to an individual within your spheres of influence can bring your relationships to a new level. As Adam Grant, author and professor at Wharton University, says: “A five-minute favor is just a small way to add large value to other people’s lives.”

What Is the Five-Minute Favor?

Coined by Grant in his bestselling book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, the “five-minute favor” is a simple practice of being in the mindset of carving out just five minutes to do something that will benefit the lives of others in your network—without expecting anything in return.

He suggests that we think of it like a microloan, as it’s a way to help someone else at a minimal cost to you. Personally, I like to think that the return on this favor is exponential.

Grant learned of this term through entrepreneur Adam Rifkin, founder of PandaWhale, who has been described by Fortune as the best networker who reaps many rewards through the benefits of building meaningful relationships. Rifken is connected with some of the most powerful people in the world on LinkedIn (more than anyone else!) And the reason he has such extraordinary contacts is a result of his generous amount of giving, which includes implementing the power of the five-minute favor.

Make It a Routine

How can you incorporate the five-minute favor into your daily networking routine? It’s easy! Here are some examples:

Be a super-connector: Facilitate an introduction that could mutually benefit two people from knowing each other.
Offer valuable feedback: It could be about someone’s business idea or a blog article they wrote.
Perform the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge: Each day for 30 days you acknowledge an individual from your networks for something valuable they’ve provided that has aided in your success, either professionally or personally.

Give an endorsement: Provide a recommendation on LinkedIn or commend and refer a person to someone in your network.
Share your ideas: If you know something that could benefit someone, don’t hold back. Inform them about it, because knowledge is power!
Stay social: Make sure to like, share, and post comments when you can offer value through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Say thank you: Sending a note of appreciation really goes a long way and definitely makes a good impression on those you’re creating connections with.
Implement solutions through Give and Take: Their proprietary software called Givitas allows work teams to collaborate and share knowledge in a unique way, and all it takes is five minutes a day.

The possibilities are endless!

It isn’t difficult to demonstrate your gratitude or to display altruism for others. Helping people should be second nature and not something to think too deeply about. You really can’t afford to not do something that only takes a short amount of time to accomplish; it will have a great impact on your relationships, and your own life as well. I can’t express enough that you now need your networks more than ever.

Seeing others succeed because of something you had a hand is a great feeling that goes beyond the favor, at least in my opinion. It improves and strengthens your connections. And it’s a simple gesture that’s not just benevolent but fosters great karma too.

The five-minute favor is my single favorite habit that I learned while writing the book.
Adam Grant

Even if you don’t physically receive anything in return, it’s been proven that giving of yourself and doing good for others leads to success. It also can help in combating loneliness as you find joy in helping people and can assist you in living a longer life.

There is science behind reciprocity and how people are hardwired to want to help those who have helped them in return. And these returns can show up in your life in many forms including job advancement, business or career opportunities, or simply contributing to your success and happiness.

There Really Is No Excuse Not to Do It

As Adam Rifkin said: “You should be willing to do something that will take you five minutes or less for anybody.” He believes your networks should be viewed as a vehicle for creating value for everyone, and not just claiming it for yourself.

Of course, things do happen daily and time doesn’t always go necessarily as planned. But there really is no excuse for not carving out five minutes a day for anything. Especially for something that can dramatically improve the lives of others, and yourself by default! It doesn’t take superior time management skills, it really only takes five minutes.

I challenge you to give me a good excuse if you can’t get this done. When you do, I will remind you how those who are good at making excuses are not good at moving the needle (in this case, the needle is the good fortune of other people).

Go ahead and practice the art of the five-minute favor today—I guarantee you will be rewarded!

Become NetWorkWise Certified

Learn more strategies on how you can provide value to your connections through the five-minute favor and ways to incorporate daily networking habits by enrolling in our NetWorkWise Certification Program. Through self-paced micro-courses, downloadable resources, quiz questions and action steps you’ll gain an understanding of the right way to cultivate connections and how to nurture expansive networks built on trust.

Once complete, you receive credentials validating you as an expert in creating world-class relationships. I encourage you to sign up today and become NetWorkWise Certified!