I do some occasional mentoring for a QUT Executive program  and enjoy getting back to basics. This week I was sharing about the importance of having the ability to connect – both in the workplace and outside. Whether to progress a career internally or expand your opportunities laterally. You need to let people know your skills , desires and that you care and stand out and be open.

As I explored how I go about managing connections over 30 years in business  and how to stay relevant ,it occurred to me that maintaining a professional relationship doesn’t necessarily require regular contact – but the challenge is how to keep a relationship “on foot” over a long period  . Instagram only works for the photogenic!

It occurred to me that a quality long term relationship is predicated on the “trust bank “ you create over the years . Some might call this reputation or good will .– but  it is more personal than that as it’s determined by how you are perceived by the other person at the time your relationship was most active.

When you need to re activate   an old connection, if the trust bank is  full, the relationship  can be re activated. If not , it is just another  valueless exchange of data and the attempt to reconnect will be hard work .

The good news is , people skills will always enhance the way you engage and with practice we can all keep improving .