Connect and Stay Connected

This has been an interesting week for me.  My birthday week – but that has nothing to do with it!

Two colleagues connected with me out of the blue this week. They reached out for no other reason than to stay connected.   In both cases, we have been in touch within the past few months but purely for business reasons.  This week, there seemed to be a desire to just talk.   It was great.   

In this day and age, it is especially important for all of us to make the effort to reach out and connect OR to be available to be connected to.

I am pretty good at this.  My secret…. I apply science to the art of connecting and staying connected. I don’t ‘wing it’ because I can’t.  If I don’t put a follow-up note in my calendar – I will forget and regret it later. If I don’t somehow remind myself to take the time to reach out, it probably won’t happen – or at least it won’t happen enough.

If you are someone who can ‘wing it’ and do a good job at staying in touch, then all the power to you.  If you are like me, use any tool you can to make it happen.  No one cares how you knew to call – they just know that you did, and they appreciate it.

At work, practice the ‘office walk-about’, follow-up with employees who are struggling in some way at work, call a client to say thank you for the business.  At home, reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while.   

I try to do all of this.  Personally, I make a big effort to stay connected to friends and family.  One of my tools?  I make a birthday note in my calendar for friends, family, colleagues, and a few others.  I try to call each of them on their birthday.  Sometimes it is the only connection during the year, but that’s alright.  And you know what?  It gets returned!  This post has taken so long to write because the phone keeps ringing!   Those birthday calls are so nice to get.

Best wishes to all.

And happy birthday if it yours today, or tomorrow, or the next day, or the next… (you get it).