(1 min read)
Last month, I did something that seemed inefficient on paper: I carved out time to meet two former leaders who shaped my career years ago. No pitch decks. No quarterly reviews. No strategic alignment sessions. Just conversation. We’d stayed connected through the usual channels — LinkedIn likes, the occasional “Hope you’re well!” message — but let’s be honest: that’s connection supplement, not substance. Getting together in person required navigating different Staes, countries, or even continents, jam-packed calendars, and life’s beautiful chaos. For years, it stayed on the “someday” list.
But someday finally arrived.
As we sat across from each other, something struck me: I had no agenda except one — to say thank you. To look them in the eye and tell them their leadership had fundamentally changed who I became, both as a person and as a leader. These weren’t performance reviews or mentorship sessions. They were moments of recognition. A chance to close a loop that had been open for too long.
Here’s what we often forget about leadership: its real impact isn’t measured in quarterly results or org charts. It’s measured in the person someone becomes years after you’ve worked together. Real leadership means helping people grow into versions of themselves they couldn’t imagine before. It’s about believing in someone’s potential even when they don’t see it yet.
And here’s the thing about gratitude: it deserves more than a LinkedIn message. It deserves presence. Eye contact. Real conversation. The kind where you lose track of time because you’re actually connecting — not just networking.
So let me ask you something:
- Who shaped you?
- Who believed in you when you were still figuring it out?
- Who challenged you, stretched you, or saw something in you before you saw it yourself?
And — when was the last time you told them? Not with a quick message or a comment on their post. But really told them. Face to face. Voice to voice. Human to human.
Maybe it’s time to book that coffee, lunch, or dinner.
Every Day Development 
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