What is the Greatest Gift a Leader Can Give?

What is the Greatest Gift a Leader Can Give?

Leadership isn't measured only by the results you achieve, but by the people you develop along the way.

Every leader can probably name one person who changed the trajectory of their career. Not because they gave them a promotion. Not because they taught them a new skill. But because they believed in them before they fully believed in themselves.

For me, that person was Bob Kimball.

Bob was one of those rare leaders who saw potential long before it showed up on a résumé or performance review. He had an incredible ability to recognize what someone could become, not just who they were today.

Early in my career at Haworth, I had the opportunity to travel with Bob on customer calls. Watching him interact with clients was like attending a masterclass in leadership, sales, and relationship-building. After one trip, I remember telling him something I've never forgotten.

"Bob, I think I've found myself a new job. I just want to follow you around everywhere you go so I can learn everything you do."

I wasn't joking.

I wanted to sell like him. I wanted to lead like him. I wanted to build relationships the way he did.

I believed that if I could learn from Bob, I'd become the kind of professional I hoped to be someday.

A few years later, when Bob promoted me into my first leadership position, he gave me advice that has stayed with me throughout my career.

He challenged me to pursue what he called the "impossible."

The opportunities we weren't expected to win. The customers everyone assumed belonged to our competitors. The long-shot pursuits that most people avoided because they were simply too difficult.

I remember wondering if I was ready. Bob never questioned it. He simply looked at me and said something I'll never forget.

"Sid, you can do this. I believe in you."

Looking back now, I realize those words carried far more weight than the promotion itself. Because Bob believed in my abilities before I fully did.

That's what extraordinary leaders do. They don't simply manage performance. They unlock potential.

Mentorship Isn't Another Task on Your To-Do List

Over the years, I've heard many organizations proudly say they have a mentoring program. And that's wonderful. But assigning someone a mentor isn't the same thing as developing people.

Real mentorship isn't another item on a leadership checklist. It isn't a thirty-day onboarding activity. It isn't a quarterly coffee meeting.

Mentorship is a mindset.

It's making the intentional decision to invest your time, experience, and belief into another person's future. One of the leadership philosophies I've shared for years is this:

Leadership is about reaching behind you, extending your hand, and helping someone else climb the hill.

That isn't something you schedule. It's something you become. 

The best leaders I know don't ask,

"Do I have time to mentor someone?"

They ask,

"Who needs someone to believe in them today?"

The Ripple Effect of One Leader

My wife, Theresa, has her own version of this story.

Early in her healthcare IT career, she worked for a leader named Tim who saw something in her that she couldn't yet see in herself.

He invested in her. He coached her. He challenged her. He prepared her for opportunities she hadn't even imagined.

Years later, Teresa became the Chief Information Officer of one of the country's leading children's hospitals.

A few years ago, when she received the CIO of the Year award, she publicly thanked Tim because she knew the leader she had become was deeply influenced by the leader he had been.  Tim could not attend the even, but he did a virtual introduction of her and announced the award. 

Just a couple of years ago, Tim passed away after battling ALS. We miss him tremendously. But what's remarkable isn't simply the career he helped build. It's what happened next.

Today, Theresa intentionally mentors members of her own team the same way Tim mentored her.  It's the best way she can honor his memory and the impact he had on her, and our family.  

His investment didn't stop with one person. It multiplied. That's the true power of leadership. Great mentors don't just develop successful professionals. They develop future mentors.

Leadership Is Measured by the People You Develop

One of my concerns for our industry is that we've unintentionally made developing people a secondary responsibility.

We celebrate sales numbers. We celebrate market share. We celebrate promotions. But we don't always celebrate the leaders quietly investing in the next generation.

As our industry continues to evolve, attracting and retaining talented people will become one of the defining challenges for every organization.

We can create better onboarding programs. We can improve training. We can build clearer career paths. Those things matter. But none of them replace a leader who genuinely believes in someone's potential.

Think back to your own career. Someone answered your questions. Someone gave you an opportunity you hadn't yet earned. Someone advocated for you when you weren't in the room. Someone believed you could accomplish something before you believed it yourself.

That's why you're where you are today.

The question is...

Who will be able to say that about you?

The Legacy We Leave

When I think about Bob, I don't immediately remember the sales strategies he taught me.

I remember how he made me feel. Capable. Trusted. Confident. He helped me see a future I couldn't yet see for myself. That's a gift I'll carry for the rest of my life.

As leaders, we spend a great deal of time asking whether people are ready. Maybe we're asking the wrong question.

Maybe the better question is:

Have I shown them that I believe they can become more than they currently see in themselves?

Because the greatest leaders don't simply teach people how to do the job. They help people discover who they're capable of becoming. I believe that's one of the greatest responsibilities we have as leaders.

It's also one of the reasons I created CORE Foundations.

Not simply to help new professionals learn the contract interiors industry, but to support the leaders who are committed to developing them. Because the future of our industry won't be determined solely by the products we design or the spaces we create.

It will be determined by the people we choose to believe in. And that may be the greatest legacy any leader can leave.