My hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly they hurt.
I was driving two hours across the state, replaying every mistake I’d made at work… and quietly preparing myself to be fired.
Now listen — 18 months earlier, I’d gone from one of the lowest-paid jobs in the company to the “high-potentials” group. Fast track, baby! I was living the corporate Cinderella story. No glass slipper, but definitely new heels.
And now? I was a Performance Excellence Leader, doing high-visibility work across the company. I had a lot on the line… and even more to prove.
So when Mark — the executive director — called me out of the blue and said, “Mimi, I need you to come to my office for a one-on-one,” my stomach dropped faster than my Wi-Fi during a Zoom call.
No explanation. Just that.
And let’s be real — when a big exec with khakis and golf clubs calls you in, you don’t assume it’s for a cookie and a gold star.
The Dreaded Walk into the Office
By the time I pulled into the parking lot, my stomach was in knots.
I walked into his office — you know the type: the kind with a desk so big you feel like you need a passport to cross it — and sank into the chair that felt about six inches lower than his.
He leaned back, folded his hands, and said,
“Mimi, I’ve been watching you… and honestly, I don’t think this job is the right fit for you.”
Excuse me, WHAT?!
My heart stopped. My career flashed before my eyes — along with my rent, my car note, and my Friday night pizza budget.
I started babbling — “I can do better, I’ll work harder, just give me a plan, a personal improvement plan—”
That’s when Mark put his hand up like, “Girl, hush.”
“Mimi. I’m not going to fire you.”
The Twist That Changed My Life
I froze.
“You’re… not?”
“No. Because I see something in you I don’t think you see in yourself. You are a natural trainer. You make complex things simple. You connect with people. You make things click. I’ve already set up an interview for you with the director of our training department — because that’s where you’ll shine.”
I sat there like, Wait… so you mean I drove two hours sweating bullets for a PROMOTION?!
That conversation changed everything.
Mark didn’t just save my job — he saw my potential before I did. He put me where I could thrive. And he was right. That one conversation launched the career I have today.
Leaders, Here’s the Big Lesson
Mark knew something powerful: when people feel seen for their strengths, they’ll go above and beyond.
I wasn’t just compliant anymore… I was committed.
This is what great leaders do: they ignite the song inside their people.
Everybody on your team has a melody, a rhythm, a gift they can’t always hear themselves. Your job isn’t to make them sing louder — it’s to hand them the mic and say, “This is your stage.”
How You Can Ignite the Song in Your People 🎶
Here’s how to get started without needing a choir robe or a tambourine:
1. Call out their strengths — out loud.
Don’t keep it in your head. Say it. Half the time, people don’t even realize their superpower until someone else names it.
2. Put them in the right room.
Sometimes people aren’t failing — they’re just in the wrong lane. You don’t put a salsa dancer in a ballet recital.
3. Be bold enough to rewrite the script.
Mark didn’t just give me feedback, he gave me a future. That kind of belief turns “I’ll try” into “watch me soar.”
Your Turn
Think about your team right now:
- Who needs you to say, “You’ve got something special”?
- Who’s grinding in the wrong lane, when they’re built to fly somewhere else?
- What “song” do you hear in them that they can’t yet hear themselves?
When you help people hear their own music, you don’t just get better results — you earn commitment, loyalty, and a kind of energy that money can’t buy.
✨ So, whose song are you going to ignite this week?