Every Friday, spend five minutes asking what good thing happened this week and who you have to thank for it, then send one message.
The idea
How many times have you done someone a solid and never heard back? Or gotten an intro, fully meant to follow up, and then life happened? The person who made the intro did their part and moved on, with no idea whether it worked. Closing the loop gives them information they actually care about. David Homan, founder of Orchestrated Connecting, calls this honoring the chain of connection. It compounds: people who feel appreciated make more intros, open more doors and think of you first.
How to do it
Put five minutes on your calendar every Friday.
Ask: what good thing happened this week, and who do I have to thank for it? The deal that moved, the conversation that unlocked something, the intro that went somewhere.
Send one message to that person. Be specific about what happened.
Done. One message. Sent.
Example
Say a client signed on Wednesday, and the conversation that started it came from an intro a former colleague made two months ago. On Friday you trace it back and send her two lines. She'd moved on the moment she made the intro; now she knows it worked.
Script
"Hey, wanted you to know that intro led to X. You made that happen. Thank you."
Say Thank You: A thank-you closes the loop, shows you valued it, gives you another touchpoint and lifts you both; name exactly what their help led to.
Delayed Gratitude: Thank someone months or years later for an intro or referral, say what it led to, and attach no ask.
The Review Cadence: Review weekly for 30 minutes, monthly for an hour, quarterly for half a day and yearly on a retreat, so you stop adding without removing.
The Gratitude System: Gratitude answers all three questions: who to contact, when, and what to say. List who helped with each win and act on it.