Just to say

Here’s a strange confession…

I like leaving jobs.

Not all of it, of course, but it is one of those rare life moments when people sometimes tell you nice things. Like a happy, professional-life, obituary.

Messages from colleagues sharing the impact you’ve had, what they valued, and what they’ll miss. It’s incredibly touching. A chance to reciprocate and tell them the same.

Of course, there’s also silence - some are quietly relieved you’re leaving ‘ding dong the witch is gone’. Some don’t know what to say, so don’t say anything. And to many, you were just another name on the distribution list. That’s life, that’s work. Still, there’s treasure to be found in endings.

They remind me not to delay telling people what they mean to me, and to intentionally pause.

Because every ending has a quiet beginning tucked just behind it.

A small window to notice what you’ll take with you into whatever comes next. To remember what people saw in you, and to intentionally prioritise those things next time.

To ask yourself - What advice, with the deliciousness of hindsight, would I give to ‘Day 1 me’?

It’s also a reminder that sometimes those we will miss most are the ones we forget to tell when we, or they, were there.

Maybe this is someone you miss - or maybe it’s you.

You quietly make everything work.

You hold things together.

You notice when others aren’t quite themselves. You don’t chase recognition, but your collaboration holds the place together in ways that can’t be measured on a spreadsheet.

These are the people we rarely stop to talk about - their brilliance doesn’t always get an audience. But we notice when they’re gone.

So here’s a small invitation to pause.

Think of the 3-5 people you interact with most. The business partner who makes the hard stuff easier.

The colleague whose name on a meeting invite makes you glad you said ‘yes’.

The leader you admire but assume they already know that.

🤔When was the last time you told them what they mean to you?

🤔Have you ever said it out loud, the way you might if you, or they, were leaving?

Don’t wait for a resignation, a restructure, or tomorrow. Tell them now. Don’t overthink it.

No one I know has ever complained about being appreciated.

I’ve loved and left a number of businesses and I’ve saved every kind email, message and card I’ve ever received. I treasure them. Most of us have no idea the difference we’ve made, until someone tells us. And sometimes the smallest moments have the biggest impact.

I haven’t kept the mean ones. They’re best left behind - in the office shredder.

So, a gentle nudge.

Message someone today. Past or present.

Take a minute between meetings, tell them their impact on you, something nice you’ve never quite said. You can even tag them in this post so you don’t forget to do it.

Because the best time to say #thankyou isn’t at the leaving do, it’s while you’re still turning up. And the worst time? Is never.