The Way You Make Me Feel.

On the first day of every new term, when I left for Primary School, Mum would tell me to look out for any new kids that were on their own.

When I got home, she’d say, “Were there any new girls? Would you like to ask them over after school?”

I thought of this recently when I was at Karrinyup Shops. I saw a tall older woman who looked familiar. “Excuse me, are you Suzie’s Mum? I am Donna Parkinson. You wouldn’t remember me. I went to school with Suzie – how is she?”.

Now in her late 70’s, I was surprised to see tears form behind her glasses. Oh, no, I thought. DON’T TELL ME SUZIE IS DEAD.

“I remember you like it was yesterday”, she said. “We had migrated from the UK, and Suzie was so nervous about her first day of school. I felt sick all day. She came home so happy and excited as a girl called Donna had talked to her and invited her to sit with her group”. I immediately felt a halo form above me. Gosh, I am a nice person, I thought. Is there no end to my kindness?

After this brief indulgent moment, I of course realised I can take no credit. The truth was that I was just doing what I was told. Maybe it was because Dad was a schoolteacher and felt for the loners. Maybe it was just Mum’s natural compassion. Either way, we got the message: it was our job to be tuned in to anyone on the outside.

Why am I sharing this?

Because seeing Suzie's Mum again reminded me of something I see in business all the time.

What might feel like small gestures can become a lasting memory for someone else. Suzie’s Mum was still moved by it more than 40 years later.

How we make people feel is not just a lesson for the playground.

As adults, we're all busy. We focus on deadlines, deliverables, targets and output. Yet the things people remember are often the smallest moments. The welcome they received. The joke you share after the meeting has ended. The pause to really listen to what is not being said.

Good marketing isn't about making the most noise. It's about how someone experiences you. Creating moments and connections that people remember become the ties that bind.

People rarely forget how you made them feel.

And if I haven’t done that well, can we please try again?