When starting this consulting career, I figured it might help to have a little credibility for prospective clients who don't know me personally. I belong to a business network called LinkedIn.com. It tends to show up prominently in Google searches, so I asked a few friends on my network if they would be kind enough to write a recommendation for me and post it on LinkedIn. They did so. And as you might expect (given that I hand-picked them!) they were very kind. I recognized that I'm not really deserving of such praise, but nevertheless the nice words were very gratifying to me.
This got me to thinking about my potential to brighten up someone's day. I thought about all the many people I have come in contact with, through business, church or community, who have impressed me and made a positive impact on my life. And I decided to try to spend some time every day letting someone know, either face to face, on the phone, by email, letter or the web. I put it on my task list every day to remind me. It's been fun.
Several times I have used LinkedIn, which has a tool for recommendations. It's been funny--almost every time I've written one, I've gotten one back in return. (I'm going to start changing my practice so this doesn't happen!) I guess people feel an obligation. But in any event, it's been a nice experience, doesn't take long and maybe makes both sides feel a little better about life.
I guess it's the same principle behind the old-fashioned thank you note. Still feels good to get those. And equally good to give them.
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