The Person Who Saw Something in You
Think about the person who changed the trajectory of your life.
The coach.
The teacher.
The boss.
The one who saw something in you before you fully saw it in yourself.
Almost all of us have someone like that in our story. For me, it happened right out of college…
When I first got out of college, I applied for a job I was wildly underqualified for.
I didn’t have the experience.
I didn’t check all the boxes.
On paper, I probably wasn’t the obvious choice. But the person hiring me saw something in me. Something I hadn’t fully seen in myself yet.
He took a chance, believed in me, and gave me an opportunity that changed the trajectory of my life.
The same thing happened to my husband, Scott. When he made the decision to pivot from chemical engineering into investment management, he was competing with candidates from Wharton, Stanford, and other Ivy League schools.
On paper, Scott wasn’t the obvious choice either.
But one leader at the mutual fund looked past the resume and saw something deeper. Potential. Character. Drive. They took a chance on him.
And that decision changed the trajectory of his life, too.
If you think about it, almost all of us have someone like this in our story.
Someone who saw something in us before we fully saw it ourselves.
Someone who believed in who we could become.
This is Emotional Intelligence in Action
One of the most powerful traits of emotionally intelligent leaders is the ability to recognize potential in others. Not just who someone is today, but who they are becoming.
Emotionally intelligent people don’t just manage performance.
-They spot possibility.
-They notice effort.
-They see character.
-They sense drive, curiosity, courage, and heart.
And sometimes all it takes to change someone’s life is this simple sentence: "I see something in you."
Be That Person
You don’t have to be someone’s boss to do this.
You can do it as a parent.
...A colleague.
...A mentor.
...A friend.
In fact, sometimes the smallest moments of belief create the biggest impact.
When you call out someone’s strengths.
When you encourage them to try.
When you remind them they’re capable of more than they think.
You might be helping them be who they came to be.
Three Ways to Practice This
1. Look for potential, not just performance.
Resumes and titles show what someone has done. Emotional intelligence helps you see what they’re capable of becoming.
2. Say it out loud.
Don’t keep your belief in someone to yourself. A few words of encouragement can unlock someone’s confidence.
3. Take a chance on people.
Sometimes the person who doesn’t look perfect on paper is exactly the person who will rise to the opportunity.
Someone once saw something in you.
Today might be your chance to do the same for someone else.
And when we help others rise into who they came to be…
we become a little more of who we came to be, too.
Keep Shining Friends,
