The Storm That Changed Me

It was a stormy spring evening. The kind of routine thunderstorm that gardens love but 8-year-olds get nervous about. Although the lightning was flashing and the cold rain pounding, my family was inside, comfortable, playing a board game. The call came to our land line in the kitchen, my mom answered it, and told my dad that it was someone from work. This wasn’t unusual; my dad started and ran a small company. With a small team supporting the vision, duty called at all hours. He returned looking worried but didn’t elaborate. The night went on, eventually the game ended, and the rain kept on pouring. Although anxious about the storm, I didn’t think twice about the call. That is, until the headlights pulled into our driveway.

I will never forget what happened next. My mom and dad spoke softly in the kitchen and then my dad ran out into the rain. I remember being very scared in that moment. Whether it was because of the storm, the fact that Hollywood trained me to be wary of dark, rainy nights, or something else, my gut told me that this was important. Between lightning flashes, I watched a man get out of the car, run to my dad, and embrace him in the most intense hug I had ever seen. Relief. The man was from work and my dad was not in danger. Soon, however, my relief was replaced with curiosity. I went to my mom seeking to understand why. She didn’t offer any specifics except that the man was going through a tough time in his marriage and needed someone to talk to. As an 8-year-old, that made sense and was enough for me to let it go. It wasn’t until later in my life that I fully understood how incredible that moment was.

More Than Just a Boss

My dad cares about the people that work for him. He cares about them so much that he builds relationships strong enough that even in times of personal crisis, they know they can turn to him. He cares so much that he welcomes them to his home, embraces them in the rain, and offers whatever support he can. This moment was the spark of understanding for me about what it means to be a leader. How leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of the people in your charge. His example has inspired me to pursue leadership opportunities at every stage of my life.

Entrepreneurship with Empathy

In the past, I would have stopped the story there, thinking I had shared all the lessons from that night. What I’ve come to know though is that rainy night was only part of the lesson. You see, my dad also taught me about business and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. He started the company from scratch and every decision he made impacted his ability to provide food for his family. And he was successful at it! He took the company from nothing, built it over several years and eventually sold it with enough profit to provide financial stability for several years while paying his way through grad school.

You may be wondering, what was the genius business that allowed him to do this? He ran a pizza company which specialized in church fundraisers to support youth mission trips. Some may underestimate the impact of a fundraising-based business model but consider the skill it takes to grow a company whose very success depends on sharing revenue with its clients. It takes a person with vision, resilience, and comfort with ambiguity to succeed in those conditions. The fact that he also led with empathy and compassion did not make him less ambitious or a less capable leader. In fact, he’d claim those traits are the reason he was successful in the first place.

A Legacy of Leadership

Thirty years later, I asked my dad about that stormy night. What he said shocked and inspired me all over again. He said that he didn’t remember it. To him, it wasn’t a grand gesture or a story worth remembering. To him, it was an act of service that came as naturally as breathing.

This story continues to shape how I lead today and why I believe empathy and service are powerful forces in business. In future posts, I’ll explore how these values show up in modern leadership, coaching, and organizational life. But for now, I’m curious…

• Have you ever had a moment where someone’s quiet act of leadership left a lasting impression on you? What was it?
• What early memory shaped your own views on leadership?
• Do you believe empathy has a place in business leadership today? Why or why not?
• Who has modeled leadership for you—not through big decisions, but through small acts of presence and care?
• If you lead a team, how do you want people to describe your impact 30 years from now?

If this story resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Connect with me by clicking the “Let’s Connect” button above. I believe the best leadership insights come not from textbooks, but from real people with real stories.