Small Actions, Big Outcomes
The Leadership Lesson I'll Never Forget
You know those moments that just stay with you?
The ones that shift something inside and change how you see the world?
I had one of those at work, and honestly, it wasn't during some big presentation or company event. It was just an ordinary Tuesday. But what happened taught me more about real leadership than any seminar or business book ever has.
I'd been in a meeting earlier that day and accidentally left some papers behind. Nothing dramatic… just one of those things you do when you're juggling too much.
Later, when I walked into the next meeting, I noticed my boss's boss….literally the top person in our entire company… sitting in the spot where I'd been before.
He was holding my papers.
When he saw my name on them, he looked up, caught my eye across this massive conference table, and said simply, "These are yours."
Without thinking, I started reaching across the table like an idiot, stretching awkwardly to grab them. But then he did something that completely stopped me.
He stood up.
Walked all the way around that big table.
And came over to me.
Before handing me the papers, he extended his hand for a proper handshake….not one of those quick, dismissive ones either. It was deliberate, warm, with both hands. His full attention was on me, like I was the only person in the room.
He looked me right in the eyes, asked how I was doing, and actually waited for me to answer. Then he gave me the papers and walked back to his seat like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I was floored.
Here's this person at the absolute top of our company….someone who could've easily just slid the papers across the table or ignored the whole thing. Instead, he made the conscious choice to walk over, shake my hand, and treat me like I mattered. Like I was a person worth his time and respect.
My first thought was embarrassment, honestly.
- Why didn't I get up first?
- Where were my manners?
- Why didn't I show him the same humility and respect?
But that embarrassment quickly turned into something else…. something deeper.
Admiration.
Loyalty.
In that single moment, I knew I would walk through fire for this man. If there was ever a crisis, if he ever needed someone in his corner, I'd be there without hesitation.
That's what real respect does….it doesn't just earn compliance, it inspires devotion.
Then, I recalled asking him about his life and his success accomplishment. How did he become that way? Where did that grace come from?
His answer was so simple it almost hurt: "My parents. The way they raised me."
That was it.
No leadership course, no corporate training.
Just good people who taught him gratitude and humility from the beginning.
Every interaction I've had with him since has been the same.
1/ He's present... fully focused
2/ He listens
3/ He makes you feel seen
His leadership doesn't come from his title or his authority…it comes from how he treats people.
And let me tell you, it works.
When someone leads like that, you don't just respect them.
You love them.
You want to give everything you've got, not because you have to, but because you genuinely want to see them, and the company, succeed.
That day taught me something I'll carry forever: leadership isn't about the big moments.
It's not about the vision statements or the strategic plans, though those matter too.
It's about the small stuff.
A warm and welcoming handshake.
Eye contact.
A genuine "how are you?" when you could've just moved on.
Those tiny acts of respect?
They're what win hearts.
They're what build the kind of loyalty money can't buy.
I think about that moment all the time now.
It's the kind of leader I want to be, someone whose small gestures create a big impact.
Someone who sees people as people, not just employees or titles.
Someone whose humility makes others want to be better.
Because at the end of the day, nobody remembers the fancy speeches or the corporate jargon.
They remember how you made them feel.
They remember the moment you walked around the table when you could've stayed in your seat.
That's the stuff that lasts.
That's the stuff that matters.