Career Diversity

Great on the Job takes it one step further. I use TOUs, or thinking of yous, to encourage people to reach out to others in their network. TOUs are short emails and whereas an IOU makes you indebted to someone, TOUs instead create goodwill. Thinking of yous are inherently generous and the goal is to maintain relevance with someone by sharing information or passing along well wishes, with the side benefit of keeping someone on your radar or staying on theirs.

So what should the subject of these TOUs be?

Here are five foolproof ways to ping someone this summer with a TOU:

(1) Pass along an article of interest: Julie, I read this article in the Boston Globe today and I thought of you and wanted to pass it along. This sounds like its right in the sweet spot of what your team is working on. Hope all is well. Best, Erica. [* extra credit for highlighting or bold facing the relevant paragraph or sections of the article]

(2) Congratulate someone on good news: Adam, I spoke with Aaron last week and he mentioned your promotion / new baby / move to Chicago. Congratulations, I’m very happy for you. Once you get settled in, let’s schedule coffee to catch up and see how things are going. Fondly, Kevin

(3) Share a job lead: Cynthia, I wanted to reach out let you know that L&M is looking for a new property manager. If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward along to colleagues or friends. Warm Regards, Casey

(4) Acknowledge a sport fan’s win: Nathan, congrats! I watched the game last night and saw that the Buckeyes pulled it off at the last minute, enjoy your bragging rights today. Roger

(5) Reference a run-in with a mutual friend: Elise, Eric and I saw Katherine today and she’s just come back from L.A. and sends her regards. Let’s try to all get together soon. Jodi