Today at work, something clicked for me in a way I didn’t expect. I was training a new RGM for an upcoming store opening — something I’ve done before, something I’m good at — but the energy around this one felt different. As I watched him interact with his team, and as I spoke with his employees who were temporarily working at my store, I started picking up on dynamics that didn’t sit right with me.
He’s deeply intertwined with his employees on a personal level. It’s not just familiarity — it’s emotional entanglement. And listening to the way one of his employees spoke about him, I felt that quiet alarm bell. The one that rings when leadership crosses a line into control, pressure, or emotional manipulation.
My instinct wasn’t to confront him or “fix” him.
My instinct was to protect his team.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
Just… intentionally.
I gave him room to train his own crew because new leaders need space to grow without feeling micromanaged. But I also stepped in to develop his assistant managers myself — to give them a breathing space, a neutral ground, a version of leadership that wasn’t based on fear, obligation, or emotional ties.
And something amazing happened.
Once they had a little distance, the managers opened up.
They were receptive.
They were hungry to learn.
And they were clearly relieved to be trained by someone who wasn’t attached to their personal lives.
It reminded me of why I lead the way I do. I don’t want people learning out of fear. I don’t want anyone feeling like their job depends on personal loyalty. Leadership should feel steady, consistent, and fair. It should build people, not break them.
And honestly? This whole experience felt like a mirror being held up to my growth.
Because there was a time when I would’ve stayed quiet, thinking it wasn’t my place.
But today, I acted — calmly, quietly, confidently — because it was my place. I didn’t undermine him. I didn’t speak badly about him. I simply filled the leadership gap in a way that protected the team and kept the operation moving forward.
That’s what integrity looks like when no one’s watching.
And in a weird way, this situation reaffirmed something I’ve been feeling for months — that I’m operating at a level beyond the job I currently have. The things I’m picking up on, the decisions I’m making, the way I hold space for people… these are skills I’ve grown into through experience, through perspective, and honestly, through the hard days I didn’t think I’d get through.
Leadership isn’t always a title.
Sometimes it’s just choosing to do the right thing when it would be easier to look away.
So today, I didn’t just train a new RGM.
I protected a team.
I modeled clarity.
I gave people room to breathe.
And I reminded myself who I am as a leader — and who I’m becoming.