It was a hot September morning and I woke up to lots of emails, Whatsapp and Linkedin messages wishing me on my Birthday. I look forward to these messages in earnest, as well as the call from my close family members, including my mother, in-laws, sister, children. I also knew I would get a call from some one, I met at work years back, who never forgets to call, wherever he is in the world and however busy he is. He will spend 5 minutes wishing you and making small talk. He has never failed in the last 20+ years, I know him. This is the power of connection, I have learnt over the years and forms part of my life lessons. It also forms part of my first Linkedin series, called Life Lessons, I am starting, after various requests from people.

Lot of my friends will recognize this person. I am keeping him anonymous, until he gives me the permission, to share his name. I once asked him, how many such calls he makes each day, week, month and year. It is in the thousands. He has a routine of how he calls people in different parts of the world – some early morning, during the day and late at night. He does this without expecting anything in return. But in turn, he is probably the most connected professional I have met in my life. He still remembers his teachers from school and keeps in touch. He does not hesitate to meet you when he is in town, even if it is for 30 minutes.

We interact with people from the time, we are born, until we die. How many of these people, do we relate to, make connections, turn into friends, partners? My advice to every young person in terms of connections is the following:

Make an effort to get interested in others. Be curious on what makes others tick.
Make the first move to introduce yourself to newcomers to your team, company and see how you can help them settle down. “How can I help you” are magic words to start building that connection
If you are a manager of people, get to know something more about team members, more than just their work. Lot of times, I have been amazed by the versatility and talent of my team members, once I know what they are involved in, outside of work.
Get involved with people with varying interests, race and cultural orientation. If your company provides an opportunity to travel, grab it with both hands, so you can learn different cultures and people
Keep in touch, just like my friend above. The mistake you should not make is only reach out to people, when you are looking for work or help. Make deposits in connecting with people, you admire and have liked interacting with, long after you have left the group, team or company. This has helped me tremendously, when I look for help or some one is looking for help. During times of layoffs, people do write to me for help and I am glad to help with connections