I’m on vacation this week with my family in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our day yesterday included lunch with our accountant and his wife. He became my accountant nearly 20 years ago after I got to know him through his wife, with whom I had worked. We also had dinner with people who had been our neighbors for several years – but that we hadn’t seen in plenty of years.
It was a good day.
This post isn’t meant to be a trip down memory lane with Kevin; rather it is meant to highlight an important point for you.
It’s never too late to catch up.
Here is your exercise today.
Think of someone in your career you used to work with, but have since lost touch – a boss, a colleague, a vendor, a client. To start this exercise, just pick one.
If you have their phone number, pick up the phone and call them – with no agenda except to reconnect.
Don’t have their contact information?
Obviously, it has never been easier to rectify that. Linked In, Facebook, or Google – take your pick and find out how to reconnect with them.
Remember – no agenda. Don’t pick a person that you are confident could connect you somewhere, get you some business, or help you find a new job. If those things come, they will be a bonus, but they can’t be the goal of the call if you want to do this exercise as I am suggesting.
Just say hello. Make it a point to simply reconnect, rebuild, and remind each other of the relationship – make it all about them and the relationship. What might come from that could be significant – a new client , a new connection, some informal coaching – who knows. What I do know is that the time will be well spent for both of you.
If you want to reconnect with them, they likely feel exactly the same way. It hasn’t happened because no one started.
Be the person who starts today. It will be good for your psyche and good for your soul. The relational re-connection could lead to lots of great things, or it might just be a 15 minute re-connection with no other purpose than a chance to smile and reminisce. Either way, you both win.
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