It was early 2008, and a typical spring afternoon in Ft. Lauderdale where the sun was shining and the ocean breeze was refreshing as always.

However, the tightly-packed training room where I was just wrapping-up one of my first “You Plan” workshops was more akin to a dreary Russian winter. The recession was fully underway and the mood was anything but sunny.

I had been tapped by a local workforce agency to conduct a workshop for 110 out-of-work professionals desperately seeking some kind of edge in an increasingly tough job market. Just after the session ended, I noticed a long line of participants forming at the front of the room.

Although not surprised, this was one of the things I used to struggle with early in my career, because the idea of sound bite advice is counter to my training in psychology.

It’s tough to really give someone meaningful direction when all you have is a minute or two, but I certainly gave it my best shot. During the course of these conversations, I began to notice a theme emerging: Every conversation seemed to come back to relationships.

One particular woman exemplified this emerging relationship theme. She was a highly-skilled human resources professional who had been in the field for more than 20 years. Being that she was an experienced workforce veteran, (and from the HR world), I assumed she must have a tremendous network. 

Naturally, my first question was who have you reached out to and how are you leveraging your network. Her response shocked me. She readily admitted that she couldn’t name an HR colleague outside of her office. 

What’s more, she didn’t even belong to either of the local HR professional association chapters in the area. Shocked, I asked her why? She responded by saying “I had a good job and didn’t think it mattered”. Guess what, relationships do matter.

People who take their careers seriously spend a great deal of time and energy on building and maintaining relationships. We all take relationships for granted and there is always room for improvement. 

Whether you are a recent grad, job seeker, or accomplished professional at the top of your game, chances are you could still do a better job in building and maintaining relationships. So, here are some things to consider:

Reach Out!

First and foremost, don’t be afraid to reach out. Ask yourself the following questions:
•Who do you need to know?
•Who do you know that may have a link to them?
•Where do you need to go to find them?

One very efficient way to find people is through social media. Joining LinkedIn discussion groups and tweet chats on Twitter are great ways to demonstrate value and connect with like-minded individuals who may be outside of your local community. 

As mentioned earlier, I’m also a big proponent of engaging with local professional associations as a way to engage people locally. When looking into local professional groups, be sure to include those that may be tangential to your field, as there may be opportunities there you haven’t yet thought of.

Remember, when it comes to reaching out to someone new, don’t ever be afraid to ask for a call or quick coffee; at the end of the day we are all just people. A friend once told me that you are already at no by not asking, so what’s the downside of taking a shot?

Reach Back!

We all have relationships that we either take for granted or have even forgotten about. Let’s face it, life moves fast and it is constantly moving forward. It’s easy to lose track of people. 

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to step back and spend some time scrolling through your Rolodex, business card collection, e-mail address book, and phone contacts. All of us know more people than we realize, so start rekindling those old relationship flames.

The bottom line is that relationships matter. Unfortunately, the woman in the example I opened with didn’t understand this until very late in the game. Relationships aren’t something you just pick up and pursue when times are bad. You should be cultivating relationships in the good times and always be willing to pay it forward because you never know what the future holds.

 

Michael “Dr. Woody” Woodward, PhD is a coach and author of The YOU Plan: A 5-step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career in the New Economy. Dr. Woody is president of the consulting firm HCI, sits on the Academic Advisory Board of the Florida International University Center for Leadership, and holds a PhD in organizational psychology.