emergencies, illnesses, injuries, and other difficult moments. How a leader responds during those times can have a lasting impact. Show up at the funeral. Check in when someone is struggling. Recognize the family member who may suddenly be caring for your employee after an injury. At the very least, send a handwritten card during these difficult moments. Small gestures can create a level of trust and respect that extends far beyond the workplace. When you genuinely show compassion to people during a time of need, they remember it. Supporting employees also means helping them become the best professionals they can be—even when they do not yet recognize their own potential. Recognize initiative. Reward it with opportunities to attend conferences or participate in high- quality professional development. Give people opportunities to learn new skills. Help someone who is struggling achieve proficiency rather than immediately assuming they cannot do the job. Sometimes people simply need to be taught. When something is new, there is nothing wrong with providing clear, direct instruction: Here is what needs to be done. Let me show you how to do it. Hopefully, that employee eventually masters the skill and then improves upon it for the benefit of the entire organization. Support also means being present when it matters. Attend the important board meeting. Help someone prepare for a difficult vendor conversation. Offer insight before a major presentation. Your presence tells your team, “You are not doing this alone.” Inspire Through Your Actions As a leader, you are always being
watched. You are on stage every day, whether you realize it or not. Your behavior inside and outside the workplace sends a message to the people you lead. People need to believe in the leader as a person before they can fully believe in that person as a leader. Character matters. Lead by example. Be professional. Be prepared for meetings. Listen carefully. Take notes when team members bring issues to you, and follow through. Make sure people understand what you are asking of them rather than assuming they do. And recognize your own mistakes. A leader does not lose credibility by admitting a mistake. In many cases, the opposite happens. People respect leaders who can acknowledge when something did not go as planned, learn from it, and move forward. Your team is watching how you handle success, but they are also watching how you handle pressure, disappointment, conflict, and failure. Those moments often say more about your leadership than any speech ever will. Challenge People to Discover Their Potential One final quality comes to mind when I think about some of the great leaders I have worked for: they challenged people. A leader who is truly in tune with their team will often recognize skills and attributes in others that those individuals may not yet recognize in themselves. Give people opportunities to stretch. Ask someone to lead a project that requires them to develop new skills. There is always some risk involved, but there is also tremendous opportunity. That team member may discover a talent or ability they never realized they had.
For example, imagine an employee who is organized, outgoing, and comfortable interacting with colleagues. That person may be an excellent candidate to lead a training session, even if they have never considered themselves a trainer. With encouragement and preparation, they may discover that their natural ability to influence and connect with people translates perfectly into training others. Sometimes leadership is seeing something in someone before they see it themselves. Give them the opportunity. Provide the support. Then allow them to surprise you—and themselves. Support Yourself So You Can Support Others Leadership is a skill that needs to be developed, and like any skill, it requires continued investment. Keep learning. Listen to your team. Seek feedback. Attend professional development sessions. Learn from other leaders. Recognize what you do well and, more importantly, where you need to improve. Take care of yourself mentally and physically so you are prepared for the stresses and responsibilities that come with leadership. Then do your best to create an environment where others can grow alongside you. When I think about the best leaders I have encountered throughout my career, several words consistently come to mind: Consistency. Accountability. Support. Encouragement. Inspiration. Challenge. Great leadership is not about choosing one of these qualities. It is about bringing them together. Lead with consistency. Support with purpose. Inspire through your actions. Challenge people to grow. And never stop developing yourself along the way.
Stephen O'Brien | Founder and President, SOBX2 Strategic Operations and Business Consulting Stephen is a nationally recognized leader in school foodservice, sustainability, and strategic partnerships. He helps school districts and industry partners design innovative programs that advance healthy, sustainable, and efficient foodservice operations nationwide and internationally. Prior to consulting, Stephen was a director with New York City Public Schools for over 33 years. He holds a Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors of Science in Foodservice Management and an Associates degree in Culinary Arts, from Johnson & Wales University.
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