Under Further Review: Saying Thank You

If you’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s critically acclaimed book Outliers, then you know that personal success is not nearly as closely tied to the individual as we all perceive it to be.  Think about it.  Nobody really does much completely alone when you boil it down to the bare bones.  Success comes from the times you live in, the events going on in the world, the people around you.  It is impossible to control the first two, but you can control the people around you.

The world, especially the United States, is incredibly inefficient in identifying talent.  By giving everybody a choice in what they can do for a living, many end up falling through the cracks and going unnoticed.  By choosing what you want to do, you are putting yourself at the mercy of the whole personal success statement.  To be successful, you need to get noticed.  Getting noticed comes from the times you live in, the events going on in the world, and the people around you.  Do you understand my point?

The people around you, or the people in your network, are incredibly valuable.  This is why networking is a career element that is pushed so hard, especially at Drexel.  I’m not going to tell you not to burn bridges; I believe that would be assumed.  I’m not even going to tell you that you have to like everyone you meet; that’s downright unrealistic.  What I am going to tell you is to be grateful for the people around you when moving up the proverbial ladder. 

We could all sit here all day long and talk about networking tips and tricks that our teachers fed us in class.  I really don’t want to have to go over all of them again.  Whether we put them into practice or not is entirely up to the individual.  I’ll admit I’m far from perfect on that front. 

What I want you all to do is be grateful.  Do not simply be thankful; go out of your way to thank the people that have helped you along the way.  I know it sounds corny but it not only helps your relations with that person but it makes it less awkward to ask that person for a future favor.  Thank your parents or guardians for putting you in a position to go to college get an education and gain opportunities.  Thank the person that turned you toward the career path you are currently on.  Thank teachers, mentors, anybody along the way that has helped you turn a weakness into a strength.  Thank everybody that has made any sort of impact on the number of opportunities in your life.

For some reason, people always find this awkward.  I think people feel awkward because they underestimate the impact that they make on the people helping them.  In reality, these people that impact us not only remember us, they are proud and keeping an eye out for our names to pop up.  Many times people think that there is no way a teacher would remember them.  Oh but they do.

I recently reached out to a former English teacher of mine that I had in the fall and spring terms of my freshman year.  I didn’t speak too much in his class, but I turned in quality work and communicated well with him over email while I was in his class.  However, I credit him for making me enjoy writing after hating it in high school.  Given my recent positions as a writer, I felt it was necessary to thank him for what he has done.  He could not have been happier!  We swapped a few emails and shared stories from the class.  Not only did I make his day, I now have reopened the lines of communication and would have no problem going to him with a question or a favor.

Saying thank you has so many benefits.  You can make somebody’s day.  You can reopen communication with a long lost contact.  Whether you take advantage of the newfound communication is entirely up to you, but it’s there if you need it.  You just reopened a chance for opportunities and opportunities can help lead you to success.