Recently, several people reached out to me about working together…people I hadn’t spoken to in years.

Some of them I assumed had moved in completely different directions. Different companies. Different industries. Different paths.

Yet there they were, reconnecting and asking how we might collaborate.

It reminded me of something I’ve believed for a long time: one of the most overlooked professional competencies is connectedness.

Not networking in the traditional sense. Not collecting business cards.

Connectedness means staying genuinely in touch with people over time—sharing ideas, checking in, celebrating their successes, and continuing the conversation long after the original reason you met has passed.

Research shows this matters more than we realize.

Sociologist Mark Granovetter’s well-known research on “weak ties” found that acquaintances and former colleagues are often the biggest drivers of opportunity. Many jobs, partnerships, and collaborations come from people we haven’t spoken to recently rather than from our closest circle.

Another line of research from Harvard Business School highlights the power of “collisions”—moments when people from different networks and experiences reconnect and exchange ideas. Those intersections are often where innovation and new opportunities begin.

The truth is, we rarely know where someone’s path will lead—or where ours will go. Someone you worked with five or ten years ago may now be leading a new initiative, launching a company, or building something completely different.

And if you’ve kept the relationship alive, that door is still open.
I’ve always believed in staying in touch. Sharing ideas. Reaching out. Congratulating people when something great happens. Sometimes just sending a quick note to reconnect.

Because most people genuinely want to help each other succeed. They want to share opportunities, make introductions, and collaborate when the timing is right.

You just never know when paths will cross again.

In a world where industries shift quickly and careers rarely follow a straight line, one thing is certain:

Connections compound over time.

And sometimes the relationships you nurtured years ago are the ones that show up exactly when you need them most.

Reach out if you want to catch up over coffee, Cristina “Always Staying Connected” Filippo