Welcome to Here’s the Caveat.

Today we’re going to talk about something that sounds generous, humble, and even polite… but quietly slows down more careers than almost anything else in business.

The 20-minute coffee meeting.

You’ve seen it. “Could I grab 20 minutes of your time?” “Can I pick your brain?” “Just a quick conversation so I can learn from your experience.”

Now before anyone gets defensive, let me say something clearly. The people asking the question are not the problem. The system teaching them to ask it is.

Somewhere along the way we started teaching an entire generation that wisdom should be free. That sounds noble. Free advice is often the most expensive habit you can develop

Today we’re going to talk about why.

Let’s get into it.