When I was twenty, I lived in Champaign (not for school). My mentor at the time would take me to all sorts of professional settings, Chamber events, fundraisers, meetings, places that all required an introduction.
I remember getting my first set of business cards for events and always making sure I had them just in case there was a contact that would lead to something important (what that was, I still don’t know). Upon meeting all these new people, frequently I would go through the introduction, say my name, shake their hand and more than a few would say, ‘Oh, I’m terrible with names, I’ll never remember it.’ They might as well be saying, ‘You’re not worth remembering.’
I was 20. Of course I didn’t have a lot to offer, I only had a high school degree, some college, manners, a car, and could outwork most people I knew, but I had no street cred, no glamor, no status. I didn’t have the thing they wanted, which was to be seen and remembered by someone they held in esteem. What if someone they thought was special or in the right circle had said that to them?
Moving forward through my work life, I make it a point to ask names and remember them, no matter who I was or who they were. Of course sometimes I forget or make a mistake, but the moments when I get it, when the person hears their name the expression on their face changes…they feel seen, they feel special and I hope they know they are worth remembering.
~Carmen