“You don’t remember who I am, do you? ….”

I write weekly on tactics and insights on cultivating authentic relationships that matter to your business, career, and life.

“You don’t remember who I am, do you? ….”

Do those eight words strike fear into your heart?

On a daily basis, we might be interacting with tens, hundreds, potentially thousands of people. Sometimes it’s just rolling our eyes across a social media post, or a quick email response. Maybe it’s a call or coffee meeting.

We can’t be expected to remember every person, what we spoke about, or what we may have done for them. But what about the person who then says…

“… You changed my life.”

Would you remember them?

I was interviewing a potential product manager for my team. While I stumbled my way to try to come up with some white lie, wondering if anyone else across the office was gazing into glass conference room at my awkwardness, the person sitting across the desk from me explained.

He had cold emailed out to me years before, interested to make a career switch into the tech world. One of my past lives has been co-creating and running one of the largest tech meetups in the country and championing the local tech community, so this was a normal part of my day. I had a quick call with him and gave him some advice. I shot off a couple introduction emails to other founders, and went on with my life.

Apparently it worked. One of those introductions came through, and he successfully made the career transition. Here he was in front of me, now an experienced PM.

You don’t know how many lives you’ve changed through what, for you, might be insignificant and forgettable action. And the people that have changed your life may have no idea as well.

Taking Action

Think back to those inflection points in your life, or even something more minute but still impactful, like a past referral or major client win. Who was there? Do they know how impactful that was for you? Yes, I know Thanksgiving was last week in the US (or last month for you silly Canadians), but gratitude for the people who have made a difference for your life is year round. Plus, it helps reinforce for them what you value and appreciate, and what might be further helpful in the future.