One of the hardest days as a supervisor was when one of my direct reports came to me in my office and shut the door. She had this look on her face of complete dread. I asked what was wrong and she immediately broke down. Her husband left her and her one year old son and she was just heartbroken, scared and confused. I let her just be and stayed and listened. Then I let her know that she was valuable member of our team; we would get her counseling and if needed, more hours, or less hours. We would do what we could. She stayed with us and that was quite a lesson I learned.
Thank you for sharing this powerful story. It’s a moving reminder of how deeply human leadership can—and should—be. Your willingness to listen and offer tangible support made a lasting difference, not just for her, but for the kind of workplace culture you're modeling.
One of the hardest days as a supervisor was when one of my direct reports came to me in my office and shut the door. She had this look on her face of complete dread. I asked what was wrong and she immediately broke down. Her husband left her and her one year old son and she was just heartbroken, scared and confused. I let her just be and stayed and listened. Then I let her know that she was valuable member of our team; we would get her counseling and if needed, more hours, or less hours. We would do what we could. She stayed with us and that was quite a lesson I learned.
Thank you for sharing this powerful story. It’s a moving reminder of how deeply human leadership can—and should—be. Your willingness to listen and offer tangible support made a lasting difference, not just for her, but for the kind of workplace culture you're modeling.
Thanks for the kind words, Jessica.