I almost skipped my walk tonight. I am so glad I didn’t, because a teenager at the park reminded me what leadership actually looks like.
I got home tonight completely wiped out. The kind of tired where you could lay your head on any flat surface and be asleep in seconds. But I told myself, no, Jen, you have to get out and walk. So I did, in the rain, dragging myself around my usual loop at the park.
And then I saw the sweetest thing.
There was a man working out in the field, lifting weights, doing push-ups. Heavier set, really struggling in the heat, but putting in a serious effort. Good for him. And a teenager walking through the park noticed him. That kid walked all the way over to the convenience store on the far corner, bought a bottle of water, walked back, and handed it to him. “Hey, I noticed you didn’t have any water. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
The man was floored. Thanked him over and over, so grateful that somebody stopped and paid attention. And the kid just said, “No problem, man, I just wanted to make sure you were good,” and kept walking like it was nothing.
Here is the part that stuck with me, and I almost never go here. Those two were completely different, from different backgrounds, the kind of people the news and social media would have you believe can’t stand each other right now. And there they were, one quietly looking out for the other, expecting nothing back.
If all you do is scroll, you will genuinely start to believe there are no good people left and everyone is at war. I promise you, that is not the real world. Get outside, get off your phone, and actually look. There are so many good people out there. You just cannot see them through a screen.
And if you honestly cannot find one? Two things. Change your circle. And become that good person yourself.
Now let me put my business owner hat on
Because I could not stop thinking about that kid as a leader.
He did the single most important thing a good leader ever does. He noticed. He did not wait to be asked. He saw someone quietly struggling, went out of his way, and helped, expecting absolutely nothing in return.
That is the whole foundation of a team people do not leave. So be honest with yourself for a second. Do you notice when one of your people is running on empty? Do you bring the water before they ask, or do you wait until they are already burned out and halfway out the door? And have you built a crew that looks out for each other like that, or is it every tech for themselves?
You cannot install that kind of culture with a policy or a handbook. It starts with you being the one who notices. Your team learns exactly how to treat each other by watching how you treat them, every single day. The teenager did not help because a sign told him to. He helped because that is who he is. That is the culture you are trying to build, one where taking care of each other is just who your people are.
So here is my question, and at work it counts double: who on your team could use the water bottle right now, and are you paying close enough attention to even see it?
Go be that person. At the park, and in your business.