On the Leaders Who Shape Us

Our careers are shaped not just by roles or titles, but by the people who show us how to work. How to learn, how to recover, how to see possibility where others see constraint.

Early in my career, Gerry taught me to reach beyond my own discomfort when working with people. While screening vendors for a project that required close collaboration, one candidate stood out as clearly excellent—but their forceful style gave me pause. When I shared my hesitation, Gerry simply said, “I’m excited to see a young person so excited about their job, which they’re clearly very good at.” In that moment, he reframed my concern as curiosity, and reminded me that enthusiasm and excellence often come hand in hand.

Joyce taught me resilience—and trust. After I made a very human and very visible mistake, she paused, took a breath, and said, “Well, that’s not ideal. How are you going to fix it?”She didn’t minimize the error, but she didn’t define me by it either. Instead, she trusted me to lead my way through the solution. That kind of leadership stays with you.

From Woody, a board member of a client, I learned the power of perspective. He consistently looked several steps ahead, asking questions like: How can we make this not only good, but transformational for the people we serve? and If we reframe this challenge, what might we learn? Woody taught me that creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s nutrition. And it’s unlocked when we’re willing to see problems from multiple angles.

And finally, our son Alan, who at eight years old reminded me why this work matters. Due to a babysitter snafu, he joined me at an evening client meeting, quietly doing homework while I facilitated. On the drive home he said, “Mom—now I know what you do for work. You help people have great ideas.” He was right, and it reminds me that the work will impact the clients we serve, not jut the work they do.

These leaders—and many moments—shaped how I work today. They taught me that the most meaningful leadership creates space for encouragement, embraces imperfection, builds resilience, and never takes itself too seriously. That belief is at the heart of how we support teams: not just to maintain momentum, but to leave people stronger, more confident, and more capable than before.