You’ve lost touch with a former colleague. How can you reconnect and build a stronger relationship?

To reconnect with a former colleague and build a stronger relationship, start by reaching out with a friendly message expressing your interest. Schedule a catch-up over coffee, lunch, or virtually. During your conversation, listen actively and share updates about your professional endeavors. Offer assistance if possible and stay in touch by scheduling follow-up meetings or exchanging occasional messages. Lastly, show appreciation for their time and insights to reinforce goodwill.

If there has not been a bad relationship when you lost touch with him, I would do the following: 1. Trace him out in Linkedin or Facebook 2. Tell him about something interesting happened in Bangladesh or in personal life (promotion in job, a son born, travelling abroad etc) 3. Tell him/her you missed so much 4. Express willingness to continue to be in touch henceforth. 5. Best wishes, kind regards etc.

Just call or connect. Find something on their social media that catches your eye and message them about it. Say what you think is interesting about it or that you thought of them for something and you would like to chat about it over coffee! People will gladly respond when they see you care and are interested.

Case Study: Rebuilding Bridges Maria, a marketing professional, lost touch with her former colleague: Alex, after changing jobs. Wanting to reconnect, Maria found a genuine reason: she saw Alex's promotion on LinkedIn. Recognizing an opportunity, she reached out, expressing genuine admiration for Alex's achievements. In her message, Maria adopted a friendly and personal tone, reminiscing about their collaborative projects. She kept it short, highlighting a clear purpose: to catch up. Maria ended her message with an easy way for Alex to respond. #LVitin #CaseStudy #Reconnection #Opportunity

In my professional experience, this can happen for a variety of reasons, and I have personally lost connections with former colleagues I admire and respect simply by not being in their day to day business. Intentionally reconnecting can bring joy and also remorse on not staying close in the first place. I say, Allow those feelings, Recognize and Share your truth when Reconnecting. Brainstorm names of former colleagues you wish you still had in your life for however they filled your glass and reach out to them via text, call or Social Media. Start the conversation with ownership in allowing the relationship to not be a priority and that you want something different. Ask if they have the space for that and move forward, together.

"At the end of the day, people won't remember what you said or did, they remember how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou The thought and energy you put into sending a message online is important. A person can feel if you're being genuine or not. When reconnecting with someone, you want them to know that you're happy about the possibility of reconnecting. Your happiness may spark something inside of the person that leads to them reciprocating the happiness.. and everyone could use a little more happiness. You could just start with a simple, happy opener like, "I hope you smile when you see this!" Be yourself. Be happy.

3 sentences max! I remember seeing an investor's contact online, and they gave the warning, "If your message is more than 3 sentences, I probably won't read it." At first, it caught me off guard but I ultimately loved the honesty. So I sent a message that was 3 sentences, and guess what? They responded! Everyone is busy these days, so you don't want to send a message that looks like it will be too daunting to read. It's challenging to condense a heartfelt message into 3 sentences, but it's a challenge that's worth taking on. It will hold you accountable for making every word count. You got this :)

I agree! I don’t have time for tomes but a quick reconnection note is something I will read. And I’d feel good that someone reached out.

I agree! I don’t have time for tomes but a quick reconnection note is something I will read. And I’d feel good that someone reached out.

"The money is in the follow-up." I forgot where I heard this quote, but to me, it means - the value is in the follow-up. It may not be the right time when you first reach out to someone, but it's important that you don't take it personally and consider that the other person may not see the message. Give it a few days, or weeks, and then reach out again. You won't be bothering the person. If you are, they will tell you. One of my most important connections was made based on a follow-up message I sent *2 YEARS* after the initial message. So, it's never too late to follow up. But a follow-up is always necessary.

Maria's Case Study: Rebuilding Bridges -ctnd. After a week with no reply, Maria followed up, respecting Alex's time. Alex appreciated the persistence and agreed to a coffee catch-up. Maria kept her promise, showing up prepared and enthusiastic. To build trust, Maria consistently communicated, sharing industry insights and congratulating Alex on milestones. Recognizing the #MutualBenefit, Maria suggested joining a marketing community together, expanding both their networks. #FollowUp #FollowThrough #Communication #Networking #LVitin #Consistency #Persistence

First, get over yourself. Don't search for some reason, some excuse, some purpose for reaching out. If you want to reach out, just do. Friends will be glad to hear from you just to hear from you. If clients don't consider you a friend, they're probably not really your client. People do business with people, and they do the most business with people they like. Most people will be delighted to just hear from you.

Maria's Case Study: Rebuilding Bridges -Key Takeaways: . . . the relationship flourished, and Maria learned that maintaining connections requires effort. One day, Maria faced a challenge at work and sought Alex's advice. Grateful for Maria's support, Alex introduced her to influential contacts, demonstrating the power of a rekindled professional relationship. In summary, Maria's thoughtful approach, persistence, and commitment to mutual benefit transformed a lost connection into a thriving professional relationship, proving that reconnection is the foundation of long-term success. #LVitin #Thriving #Success #Reconnection #Challenge #ProfessionalRelationships

Ask myself a good question, was this person interesting? did we click when we met? Will they add value to me or are there in needs and I can support them. What are the reasons that I lost connection with them? I'll think before approaching them again.