Pick up the phone and call

A few days ago I messaged someone I had coached and trained about four years ago. Just a quick “hello” on social media. One of those messages you send without much expectation.

He wrote back and said he wasn’t doing so well.

We went back and forth for a bit trying to find a time to talk. It didn’t quite land. Schedules, life, the usual things that make a simple conversation harder than it should be.

Tonight he said he probably couldn’t make a call happen. So I just rang him, and when he picked up, the first thing he said was, “I really appreciate this.”

We only spoke for a few minutes. We talked about what he’d been working on, what felt heavy, and some of the things we’d explored years ago in coaching. Nothing dramatic. Just two people reconnecting. At the end he said, “Let’s talk properly in a couple of days.”

Sometimes the most useful thing you can offer someone is not advice, insight, or a clever coaching question. Sometimes it’s simply the phone call.

If someone you know says they’re not doing so well, send the message. Or better yet, pick up the phone. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be deep. Just let them know someone noticed.

And every now and then, that small signal travels further than you think.