Now that the pandemic is officially over in many parts of the world, it’s considered favourable to find and reignite contacts, and makes more sense that technology would impact professional as well as personal interactions. The rule of thumb today is that everyone is rushed, overworked and too busy to be able to do justice to all their connections. As a result, many fall by the wayside, neglected and irrelevant. The crisis we just overcame brings various outcome, but on the other hand so many spend time thinking about lost and missed opportunities – what might have been.
Executives who reconnect and meet face-to-face with two or more people who they had not seen for more than three years (“the one who got away”) but who they thought would be someone they could trust for advice, find it enlightening. What works best is when they ask for a view on a major, ongoing work project that would have a significant influence on their career or business. Measuring for novelty of the advice given, trust and shared perspective, they found from the reconnection, the ideas and suggestions from the old ties beat out ideas from their current or new contacts. Rebuilding a dormant relationship can only be done with an open heart and an open mind. Understanding others is not always easy, but accepting them the way they are, should not be a bargain. By opening ourselves to new ways of thinking, we are expanding our knowledge and compassion. In the long run, these experiences will lead us to new heights of understanding.
Many people only revive relationships when they need something – an introduction, information, a lead. Instead, view your outreach as a way to simply re-establish a rewarding, reciprocal relationship. Reaching out to someone you once connected to have fresh, objective perspectives proves to be more helpful than ideas from those who are too close or not sync to see a new approach. By reconnecting, we have the opportunity to gain insights into a wealth of knowledge that was not otherwise available with regular contacts. Because there is an existing trusted relationship to begin with, renewing old ties flows nicely than starting a new relationship, hence it is a much more efficient process. There are already feelings established that quickly return once the reconnection is made. There is a level of comfort and confidence when working with someone from the past who understands and shares our perspectives. This proved to be true for the executives making the reconnections. With that said, good luck with unleashing the power of reconnection.
