A couple of weeks ago, I had a great Zoom reunion with friends from college who I hadn’t seen in almost 4 decades. We had gotten to know each other through our involvement with NYPIRG (the New York Public Interest Research Group). We worked on a wide mix of social justice issues; but the effort I am most proud of was our collective work to pass the Bottle Bill, requiring bottle deposits in New York State. In this photo, I am seen singing some protest song (no idea what it was), on a march from Binghamton to Syracuse in support of the bill (we weren’t protesting the Vietnam War or climate change, but hopefully, our work had some small positive impact on the planet).
The reunion, which included my friends Doug Berman, Jeff Oliver, and Sam Ziegler (who I think took this picture) was a great trip down memory lane. It was also a reminder, that reconnecting with old college friends is easy (and fun).
As a marketing coach, I’m sharing this story because it illustrates an important point. We all have relationships that go way back into our past and even if we haven’t maintained those relationships, it is easy to reconnect (especially with Zoom).
I have to thank Michael Katz for emboldening me to post such a scary photo from the early 1980s (Michael has posted pictures of himself at Club Med around the same time frame).
When I suggest to my clients that they reconnect with old college friends (and acquaintances), I sometimes get push back. But it a great untapped source of business connection for many of us. So go forth and relive your early 20s. You won’t regret it.
