Your dormant ties can surprise you!
The Power of Reconnection – How Dormant Ties Can Surprise You was the eye-catching title of an article in the MIT Sloan Management Review. Many people assume that a connection which has been ignored for years is a dead connection. The article, based on research by Daniel Z. Levin, Jorge Walter, and J. Keith Murnighan, says that done right, connecting with dormant ties is a surprising and worthwhile exercise.
Here are some key takeaways from The Power of Reconnection – How Dormant Ties Can Surprise You but we encourage you to read the whole article.
- Most of us are uncomfortable connecting with someone we haven’t spoken with in a long time and we wonder if they’ll take our call or read our email. Also, we struggle with the reason for reconnecting. “Will they think I am asking for something?”
- The authors had the executives in the study reconnect with ties that had been dormant for three years or more. They were to ask for advice or get information that could help them on a current work project.
- It wasn’t as hard as these executives thought, and they were surprised at the quality of the advice. One of the reasons the advice was better was that these dormant connections offered a unique or fresh perspective. Imagine if the information you wanted was a work project that involved manufacturing offshore and you contacted a dormant tie who now works in that offshore manufacturing region.
- It’s important to choose a dormant tie to fit a business challenge question that you have.
- What those people who participated in the experiment found was that their network is always on–sometimes you simply need to fire it up again!
- The research of Levin et al found that those feelings of trust do not fade much, if at all. “Our research shows that old feelings and sense of connection typically come rushing back quickly.”
- Another benefit of asking a dormant tie is that it’s efficient. You aren’t asking them to meet you for lunch, or to become your new best friend, instead you are contacting them because they may be able to offer some advice or perspective in a brief interchange.
- Most participants in the study said it was a ‘feel-good’ interaction. You are flattering them because you consider them an expert, a person with knowledge. This is quite different from contacting a dormant tie and asking for a job, a lead, or a favor.
- As well, a dormant tie does not require intense maintenance. You may discover that there is something you can do for them. But even if that is not the case, it becomes a short, sweet reconnect. You can close the loop with a heartfelt thank you for their time and expertise. Perhaps ask them to join you on LinkedIn.
- There is a good possibility you can jump-start a dormant relationship. Just don’t take another three years to reconnect this time.
“The next time you have a problem or issue at work, dust off your Rolodex** and get on the phone, Facebook or LinkedIn. In a word: Reconnect.”
― Daniel Z. Levin, Jorge Walter and J. Keith Murnighan
**A Rolodex is where you will find really dormant ties!!
Did you know we do a free weekly tip?
Please click this link to sign up for our free weekly Positive Networking® Tip. Our tips arrive in your inbox every Wednesday and are a quick and easy way to keep networking, connecting, and communication skills top of mind.
Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson
Top of page Image: Pexels.com/ErikMcLean
Please note: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.