No to the voices that said recruitment was too hard.
No to giving up when hotels went dark during the pandemic.
No to selling my business when buyers came calling.
No to walking away when things got brutally tough.
Because I know what moves me.
And this week, I felt it again.
I reached out on LinkedIn to a Michelin-starred chef with a powerful job opportunity.
He looked at it and said:
“This sounds like the dream job for someone in my team now.
I know who it’s for. Someone I trained with my own hands.”
Then he sent me his teammate’s CV.
Not his own.
No hesitation.
No panic about replacing him.
Just pride.
Pride in who he helped grow.
And a genuine wish to see someone else rise.
He could’ve kept him.
He chose to lift him.
He just acted.
Out of pure respect for someone else’s dream.
And I sat there.
Silent.
Because in all my years,
I’ve almost never seen that kind of courage.
And when it happens,
it reminds you what real leadership looks like.
Not holding talent back.
But setting it free.
You give them wings to fly.
He didn’t fear losing someone.
He felt fulfilled knowing he helped shape him.
That is the kind of fire that makes you rethink everything.
The kind of character you don’t just admire.
Turns out, legacy isn’t built on applause.
It’s built in the quiet when no one’s watching.
The real stars don’t just shine.
They spark others into brilliance.