The "third door" principle, which led Andrew Yong to a successful career at Google and Meta, and then to founding his own company, involves finding unconventional ways to achieve goals and distinguish yourself from others.
The "third door" principle, which led Andrew Yong to a successful career at Google and Meta, and then to founding his own company, involves finding unconventional ways to achieve goals and distinguish yourself from others.
Andrew Yong had below-average grades in both high school and college. He also said he lacked the typical traits associated with success, such as charisma, confidence, and brilliant intelligence. He thought he was destined for a mediocre career.
"I realized I needed to change something or I would be below average for the rest of my life. I had to stop doing what everyone else was doing because it wasn't working for me," Yong told Business Insider.
Everything changed for Yong in 2019 when he came across Alex Banayan’s book “The Third Door.” It completely changed his approach to work and helped him land leadership roles at Google and Meta.
Imagine you want to enter an exclusive nightclub. There are three doors: one common door that everyone goes through, a second door for VIPs and celebrities, and a third door that no one tries.
“Once I learned about this idea, I made it a habit to solve every problem by finding the third door. I became almost allergic to conformity, ignoring conventional wisdom. Whenever I saw someone doing something a certain way, I tried to do it differently, and I was convinced that there was always an easier, unconventional, non-obvious way to accomplish the task,” says Yong.
1. Being faster is the easiest way to stand out , says Yong.
"I started to stand out for my speed of execution. Throughout my career, I've used my speed of execution as a competitive advantage, and it's always paid off," says Yong.
By responding to an email within 10 seconds, he landed an internship with the CEO of a company with over 20,000 employees.
At Facebook and Google, he had the opportunity to work on the most famous projects because he was the first to raise his hand.
2. Maintaining relationships with people for years when everyone else is focusing on short-term relationships
“I’ve talked to thousands of people over the past few years and I’ve noticed that most people have a short-sighted approach to building relationships, especially in big cities. This makes sense—the high density of great people gives you what seems like an endless number of relationship options, but in reality, this false sense of non-commitment can actually hurt you,” Yong notes.
Yong's first job came after he was rejected from an internship program at a company. He used the opportunity to build a relationship with their e-char and supported them for over a year.
His journey at Facebook began with a cold introduction that turned into a mentoring relationship that lasted over three years, and his work at Google began with building a long-lasting relationship with someone he met spontaneously.
3. I started giving without expecting anything in return.
“My strategy for gaining access to job opportunities, leaders, and influencers has always been to volunteer my greatest asset: my time. It has been my Trojan horse for opening doors, building relationships, and accessing greater opportunities,” says Yong.
In his 20s, Yong knew nothing about startups and technology, so he started approaching early-stage executives with his help and suggestions. Eventually, a few people hired him, and this became his way of breaking into the tech world as a non-techie. This approach helped him build a personal brand as a young, helpful, and hungry professional.
4. Instead of chasing the right people, Yong learned to create valuable things that caught the attention of those he wanted to meet.
He used to find it difficult to get into places and events with the right decision-makers, whether it was an interview room with an HR manager, a private dinner with executives, or a boardroom. This often required knowing the right people, having a top-notch resume, being extremely intelligent, or charismatic.
"Instead of trying to get into private dinners with CEOs, I hosted my own. Instead of trying to get on stage and get the attention of business leaders, I created my own stage and invited the leaders I wanted to speak with."
Andrew Yong is a former Meta and Google employee who now hosts tech parties through Andrew's Mixers, runs a tech events company at Fibe, and invests in Next Wave NYC.
“These four habits ultimately allowed me to access opportunities, build relationships with prominent technology leaders, and ‘break through’ into the tech field without good grades or a strong resume. In reality, I consider myself an average person who is not particularly gifted or exceptionally smart in any particular field, but I have managed to achieve some success by discovering unfair advantages that are unique to me,” Yong concluded.
