Leadership, Mistakes, & Ice Cream

Last week, while visiting a new city, I stopped in a quaint local ice cream shop, and it trigger a positive memory for me.

A few years ago, I was in Central America. I had spent the day on a city tour with a small group of people. Our local bilingual guide, Jose, was a gem of a human. It had been a full day and everyone else from my tour had retreated to their hotel rooms for the night. However, Jose asked if I wanted to take a drive to the countryside. He said he knew where we could get some homemade ice cream and he thought I would enjoy it.

We hopped in his jeep and headed north. On the drive, he told me we were going to a rural village nestled on the side of a mountain. He said he didn’t know what flavors they would have today but if they had “Rum and Reese’s” I should try it.

Full disclosure, that sounded like a very odd combination, and I am not a fan of peanut butter, but he was very passionate about this particular flavor.

After driving out of the city, we departed the main road and entered a sparsely populated community. We stopped in front of a very simple home and Jose spoke to the family matriarch for a few minutes. We then walked around the house to a small shed. There we found an old freezer and Jose began to take stock of the options.

After a few moments, a smile came across his face, and he said, “they have the Rum and Reese’s! You must try it! You are going to love it!”

When in Central America …

We found a beautiful spot on a boulder overlooking the valley, and we began to eat our ice cream. I was skeptical, but it was surprisingly good and not at all what I had imagined. And then Jose gave me a very confused look and he said, “I think … I think I used the wrong word.” I took another bite and then I understood.

I smiled at him and said, “In English, these are called raisins.”

He replied, “Ohhhh! Raisins! What are Reese’s?”

“Um, little chocolate-covered peanut butter cups.”

He nearly fell off the boulder and into the valley as he laughed! He said that sounded gross – Rum and Reese’s – and he couldn’t believe I tried the ice cream.

It was an easy decision because Jose had earned my trust. He spent the day making sure everyone had enough water, that we enjoyed good local meals, and that we took breaks or rested when people were tired. He didn’t have to do anything miraculous to earn our trust he just had to be consistent in his effort to meet our most basic needs.

As I think about this through the lens of leadership, I am reminded of how important it is to build trust through the little things. I believe the best leaders practice this concept; they are intentional about meeting the needs of those they are leading.

This reality was recently put to the test as we experienced a global pandemic. Many leaders missed the mark on meeting their followers’ most basic needs. Overnight many systems that people counted on were no longer available to them. This left a void in their lives. Childcare and school districts shut down, dedicated office spaces were closed, strong WIFI signals at work were replaced with overtaxed home systems, and parents who may have been accustomed to providing only dinner were suddenly providing three meals a day. The systems that cater to our fundamental needs came to a screeching halt.

In this season of life, most of us became hypersensitive to the fact that some leaders were aware of our needs and working to meet those needs and others were not. When a leader is aware and working to meet those needs – much like my tour guide did – trust is quickly built.

However, there is another important point here. My tour guide made a mistake – he misspoke – and the truth is it wasn’t a factor. I didn’t trust him because he was perfect, I trusted him because he had been consistent in taking care of my needs.

This reminds me that the success of a leader is not only in the hands of the leader but also in those who choose to follow. At that moment, I could have overreacted and said, “how can I trust you? You misspoke, the trust is broken.” But my trust wasn’t in his perfection, it was in his humanity. I don’t expect my leaders to be perfect, I expect them to be present.

I know from experience that a leader who takes care of your basic needs, makes a mistake, and then is willing to laugh with you about it is a leader worth following.

Take care of your people and they will continue to follow.

Get your “Lightbulb Moments!” Your email arrives every other Wednesday filled with insights I ONLY share with my private clients … and YOU!