Building Your Professional Relationships: Thanks & More

If you’ve made it this far in this series on building your professional relationships, hurrah!  And now, for the final tips to build your professional relationships:

Tip #7:  Say thank you.

Yes, your grandmother was right:  a simple handwritten thank you note (ideally written sent within 24 hours) acknowledging your appreciation and gratitude goes a long way.  People so rarely get personal mail these days that even a simple note can make a big impact.

The thank you note format can be as simple as this:

Signed, sealed, out the door.  Done.  5 minutes tops.

If you doubt the importance of this, consider how you felt when someone thanked you sincerely for something you did.  I know that I’ve kept a file folder of thank you notes I’ve received over time: they are small but significant reminders of my own impact.

Tip #8:  Rinse and repeat.

Building (and maintaining) professional relationships is an on-going process, not a one time event.  This cycle is one you can continue over time, regardless of where you are on your career path, as well as serve you in your accomplishing specific work tasks.

If you find yourself stale, uninspired, isolated or just curious, connecting into your professional network can give you a well-needed shot of inspiration, potentially leading to your next big project!

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I hope this series of tips has been helpful to you in thinking through how building or expanding your professional networks can serve you and how you make a difference!