Don't Be a Stranger

Our days get so busy - with work, life, thoughts, and so much more - that we tend to forget or fail to notice all the people we come across every single day.

Some of those people make up our close-knit work family. Others are part of our personal life outside the office. Some fall in between. But in the end, just as devs are people, all people are people - and you never know who you'll run into.

Will the person behind you in line turn out to be your next hire? Will your barista plant a seed that grows into great copy? Maybe that quiet neighbor is an investor looking for new directions.

On one hand, you should have different types of messages ready for different audiences, needs, and knowledge levels. But mostly, you should treat people like human beings - because you never know where it leads.

Pay attention once you've met someone and nurture those encounters the way you'd nurture a contact in a marketing funnel: warm them up, educate them, qualify them until they're ready (or not).

The timing may not be right now. No collaboration may arise from a one-minute meet and greet. But it can evolve the next time you cross paths, or a month later, or years later when the stars align.

Every person we meet is an opportunity in one way or another. And with life always getting in the way, we miss precious chances at perfect strangers becoming great mentors, partners, clients, or friends.

So don't be a stranger.