The Importance of Reawakening Dormant Ties
We tend to underestimate the importance of “weak ties” — our relationships with people we don’t know well or don’t see very often.
Ignoring this outer circle of our network is a major miscalculation. The problem with our trusted advisers and circle of usual suspects isn't that they don’t want to help. It’s just that they’re likely to have the same information and perspective that we already do.
Research shows that novel insights are more likely to flow through dormant ties — people who you were once close to but now haven’t been in contact with for roughly three years or more.
To quote the MIT Sloan Review article "The Power of Reconnection: How Dormant Ties Can Surprise You",
“When people reconnect, they still have feelings of trust and a shared perspective — which are critical for receiving valuable knowledge from someone — and our research shows that these feelings do not fade much, if at all.”
Research also shows that reconnections are extremely efficient.
“Reconnection conversations are shorter but just as helpful as everyday conversations; that is, they offer more ‘bang for the buck.’ In addition, after reconnecting, these relationships require only minimal maintenance for the same reason they required no maintenance at all during dormancy: These are not people you see every day. So even if these relationships do not slip completely back into dormancy after a reconnection, they only rarely become a high-frequency contact. “
And then, quite importantly,
“Dormant ties are great sources of unexpectedly novel insights. After all, just because people lose touch does not mean that they go into hibernation. Instead, they continue to encounter new and different experiences, observations and information, which makes them particularly valuable resources for information and advice. Reconnecting can tap into a wealth of knowledge that other people have discovered.”
Sure, it’s easier and less emotionally risky to call someone you know well. But reconnecting is tremendously efficient because it’s much easier to reconnect and awaken dormant ties or relationships than it is to create new ones.
Take the First Step
Our mindsets about networking affect the time and effort we put into it, and ultimately, the return we get on our investment. Perhaps you wonder why it makes sense to widen your circle of acquaintances speculatively, especially when there’s hardly enough time for your regular work. Or maybe you’re reluctant to jump in because you think you’re never going to be good at it or are concerned that people will feel like you’re bothering them.
If you’re finding it tough to jump into networking, one approach is to change your paradigm. Start with the mindset that networking is RELATIONAL, not TRANSACTIONAL. That means the purpose of getting together isn’t to ask for a job. It’s for sharing mutual interests and relevant insights that build trust and a bond. That’s when the magic happens! Only then can you create an advocate who will help you advance your job search.
The best time to get started is RIGHT NOW! Go to LinkedIn and make a list of dormant ties you’d like to reactivate. Then reach out to 5 of them this week and suggest a get-together. Repeat the process every week. I can almost guarantee you it’ll be life-changing.
Not everyone will say yes, but I’m confident you’ll find that whatever conversations you’re able to have will make you feel energized and generate momentum for continuing the process.
But you’ll never know if you don’t try.
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