Not everyone will get it straight away; don’t let that put you off.

We live and work in a fast-paced, transactional world, where people are often focused on the pressing issue of the moment. We are not all used to people reaching out without an immediate agenda simply to develop a relationship.

If you reach out simply because you want to reconnect and people seem suspicious or even hostile, persevere. You’ll only change their understanding of what you’re trying to achieve and develop their trust through persistence. They need to recognise that you consistently check in without a personal agenda for them to begin to respond in kind and let the relationship deepen.