We spend a lot of time thinking about how we show up.

How we prepare for an important business meeting. How we introduce ourselves. How we present an idea. How we celebrate someone. How we choose a gift. How we help a friend or colleague.

But I think there is something equally important that we don't talk about enough: how we respond.

How you respond matters.

When someone takes the time to meet with you, respond.

When someone gives you a gift, respond.

When someone mentors you, opens a door for you, makes an introduction, offers advice, or shares their experience with you, respond.

When someone does something that makes your life a little easier, your work a little better, or your day a little brighter, respond.

And when you are grateful for someone simply being in your life, tell them.

Not with a quick text. Not with an emoji. Not with a message typed while you're doing three other things.

Write a note.

I have always believed in the power of the written word, particularly when it is handwritten. There is an intention behind sitting down, choosing a card or a piece of stationery, picking up a pen, and thinking about what you actually want to say.

It doesn't need to be long. It doesn't need to be perfectly written. It simply needs to be genuine.

Then put a stamp on it and send it in the mail.

There is something wonderful about opening your mailbox and finding an envelope with your name handwritten across the front. Before you even open it, you know that someone took time out of their day for you. In a world where nearly everything arrives instantly, that small gesture has become even more meaningful.

I believe this matters in business, too.

After an important meeting, don't assume everyone knows you appreciated their time. Tell them. If someone shared an idea that changed the way you were thinking about something, let them know. If someone made an introduction, gave you an opportunity, recommended you, or helped move something forward, acknowledge it.

A handwritten note after a business meeting isn't simply good etiquette. It says something about who you are. It shows that you pay attention. It shows that you value people's time. It shows that relationships matter to you beyond the immediate transaction.

The same is true of mentorship.

Most of us can point to people who have helped shape who we are. A teacher who saw something in us. A mentor who gave us advice at exactly the right moment. A boss who took a chance on us. A colleague who taught us something we still use today. A friend who encouraged us when we weren't quite sure of ourselves.

Sometimes these people have no idea how much their words or actions affected us.

Tell them.

Don't wait until there's a milestone, an anniversary, or a reason that feels important enough. Gratitude is reason enough.

Write, “I was thinking about something you told me years ago, and I want you to know that I still carry it with me.”

Write, “Thank you for believing in me.”

Write, “You made a difference.”

Write, “I appreciate you.”

Imagine receiving one of those notes unexpectedly.

We often underestimate the impact a few sincere words can have.

Gift giving is another moment when the response matters. When someone has taken the time to think about you, choose something for you, and give it to you, acknowledge that thoughtfulness. A written thank-you isn't old-fashioned. To me, it is timeless.

And perhaps the most important notes are the ones that don't follow any occasion at all.

Some of the best notes begin with, “I was thinking about you.”

We don't have to wait for someone to do something for us before telling them we're grateful they are part of our lives. Send a note to a friend who has been there for years. Write to your parents. Your children. A sibling. A former colleague. Someone you haven't spoken to in a while but think about often.

Tell people what they mean to you while you have the opportunity.

Technology has made communication faster and easier than ever, and there is tremendous value in that. But faster doesn't always mean more meaningful.

A handwritten note asks something of us that our phones rarely do: our undivided attention.

For those few minutes, we are thinking about one person and one message. We are choosing our words. Our handwriting won't be perfect. We may cross something out. The lines might not be straight.

That's part of what makes it personal.

And then something remarkable happens. That note leaves your hands and enters someone else's life.

It may sit on their desk. It may be tucked into a drawer. It may find its way onto a refrigerator or into a box of keepsakes. Years later, they may come across it and remember exactly how your words made them feel.

I have saved handwritten notes. I know many other people who have, too. There is a reason we keep them.

They represent more than words on paper. They remind us that someone noticed us, appreciated us, believed in us, or simply wanted us to know that we mattered.

So the next time you leave an important meeting, receive a thoughtful gift, benefit from someone's mentorship, or find yourself feeling grateful for something another person has done, don't let the thought disappear into the busyness of the day.

Respond.

Take out a card. Pick up a pen. Write what you mean.

Put it in an envelope.

Add a stamp.

And send it in the mail.

Because how you respond matters.

And sometimes, the smallest gesture leaves the longest impression.

— Erica Di Bona