My good friend and mentor for years Al Martella knows that I have been working on the Boomer Conference here in Sarasota coming up this week and he shared some great thoughts on “Networking and how important it is during retirement”.
In Al’s words:
In Networking Nugget 228, I shared the networking techniques I used to help me transition into retirement.
- In the year before retirement, I reached out to my network of retired friends and asked how they made the transition – I benefited from both their wisdom and their willingness to speak about their successes and failures.
- In the month before retirement, I scheduled with my network two or three breakfast or lunch dates weekly that I would have during the first month of my retirement. These events were instrumental in facilitating my transition.
- In early retirement, I was open to the “lead” of my network. I’ve gotten so many great ideas on travel, technology, leisure activities and life from my network.
I continue to do many of these things. But I can see there are other dynamics regarding networking in retirement to consider.
- In business, you are likely surrounded by people that may facilitate making new connections. In retirement, it may be easier to become disconnected; you need to make the effort to stay connected.
- In business, there is an “implied” belief that you must network to succeed. In retirement, there is no “implied” belief, but it is critical that you continue to network to remain vibrant and continue to grow.
- In business, we network with colleagues, clients and other related to the business. In retirement, WHO you network with may change – with greater emphasis on family and friends.
- As our business matures, we will likely lose clients when they relocate or pass away. In retirement, the chances increase that we lose loved ones. People often react to loss by retreating from others. At difficult times, keeping networked can be beneficial.
What has your experience with networking in retirement? Andrea and I would like to hear from you.
*** A big Thanks go Al— whether one is retiring or ‘rewiring’ this is valuable information to put into practice.