The Bench

Every morning on my way to work, I drive past a black bench. One of my neighbors sets it at the edge of their driveway, right in front of their cars. It's an odd place for a bench. And every evening when I come home, it's gone. Of course, I was curious. For weeks I wondered… Why is it there? Who is it for?

Then one morning, I got my answer. My neighbor's mom was sitting on that bench, reading a book and waving as people went by. I'm a neighborhood waver too, so of course I waved back. She came to Florida after the war forced her to leave her home. She doesn't speak English, but she has become a familiar face in our neighborhood. She walks every day… in the morning, in the afternoon, sometimes both… always carrying a small bag. We met at a neighborhood picnic. We didn't talk, because we don't speak the same language. But we smiled, passed bread, and her sweet son did some translating.

That's when it all clicked. The bench was for her. The bench's owner carries it to the edge of his driveway every morning and brings it back in every evening. No one asked him to. No one is going to recognize him for it. He noticed this friendly woman, like all of us have, but then he did something special. He gave her a place to rest. He saw a need, and he responded… with a bench.

That little bench has become an inspiration to me, a small symbol of leadership. True leaders pay enough attention to notice when someone needs to catch their breath. In my years in the corporate world, we heard a lot about having an "open door." It's a nice idea, but walking through that door can still feel pretty intimidating. Maybe what people really need isn't an open door.

Maybe they need a leader who notices.

Someone who gives them a place to rest, to be honest, to be vulnerable.People are often carrying more than anyone realizes. Sometimes they just need… their own version of a bench.

If you're a leader (and remember, every one of us is a leader in our own way), your bench might be: A quick check-in.

A little encouragement.
A conversation without an agenda.
Recognition for work that mostly goes unseen.

Your bench will look different for every person. So pay enough attention to learn what someone else's bench looks like.

Every morning when I drive past that house, my heart fills with gratitude for someone good enough to carry a bench to the edge of his driveway just so a neighbor can catch her breath. How beautiful is that?

The Bench

Maybe they need a leader who notices.

So I'll leave you with this… put your bench out.