There is a message we do not send often enough.
“This happened. And you helped.”
We tell people when we need an introduction. When we need their opinion. When we are stuck and could use twenty minutes of their time.
Then something moves.
The introduction becomes a meeting. The meeting becomes work. An observation changes how we approach a problem.
We continue with our lives.
The person who helped may still think nothing came of it.
Tell them.
And be specific.
“You mentioned my name. That conversation led to the project.”
“You explained something I had been struggling with. I finally understood how to approach it.”
“You took my idea seriously when I was still trying to make it clear.”
These are things people cannot discover by looking at the finished result.
They know what they offered. They may have no idea what it became.
I believe we can learn from everyone and from every experience. Sometimes we carry a person’s contribution into situations they will never see.
A question they taught us to ask.
An opportunity they helped us recognise.
The first piece of work they trusted us to do.
There is something powerful about going back and making that connection visible.
You do not need a speech.
Send the message. Name what they did. Tell them where it led.
Somebody may have spent years wondering whether they ever made a difference. You could answer that question today.
Silvia
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