Two young men, in a small coffee shop, taught me about leadership.
George and Tyler left on Christmas Eve to serve at a children’s home in Beirut. They’re back for classes. Yesterday, we met to talk.
During our conversation, I asked a question I’ve never asked.
Overseas travel is new to Tyler. George has been abroad several times. This was George’s second trip to the children’s home.
I was curious about highlights and lowlights. “What happened on your trip?” But, things got rolling when I asked the question I’ve never asked.
“How would you like others to be different after hearing your story?”
I wanted them to think of themselves as men of influence.
Leaders think of themselves with others in mind.
Tyler went first. George is a muller.
Yes:
“I want them to be ready to say yes. Take chances. Don’t put things off.” Tyler said.
We talked about leadership and life principles, while George mulled.
Believe you can:
“I want them to believe they can,” George said.
George heard about the children’s home a couple years ago. There was no organization or group trip. He made the connections and made it happen.
I asked, “What got you started in the first place?
Welding:
“I was excited to teach welding?” George said. (He went to Beirut because of his passion for welding.)
I said, “Isn’t it interesting where a passion to teach welding can take someone?” We talked for a while about using our passions in service to others.
George’s enthusiasm for welding has grown to passion for Middle Eastern culture and a children’s home in Beirut.
He came home thinking about the next time he gets to go back.
Leadership lessons from the coffee shop:
- Say yes.
- Believe you can.
- Follow your passion.
Passion thinks next time.
What surprising place has your passion taken you?
How would you like others to be different because of your story?
This post was previously published on LEADERSHIPFREAK.BLOG and is republished with Creative Commons license.
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The Good Men Project is a mission-driven media platform founded in 2010 that helps writers, brands, agencies, and organizations build credibility, audience, and long-term authority. By publishing stories about masculinity, mental health, relationships, fatherhood, identity, and personal development, GMP provides a trusted ecosystem where ideas gain visibility, trust, and resilience in both search and AI-driven discovery. The platform supports individual contributors as well as high-volume agencies through paid guest posts, sponsored content, and bulk publishing systems designed for scale.
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