In my past life as President & COO at two different grocery chains, I would end every year
with a year in review of all the leadership lessons I’d sent out that year for our teams to look
back and recall each of the lessons. The value in this is keeping the lessons alive in the
minds of our teams and they were encouraged to share them with their teams again in
condensed form.
I find myself reflecting on a year filled with stories, lessons, and reminders that leadership
isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are every day. From hope and resilience to kindness and
legacy, this year’s lessons formed a narrative about leading with heart, serving with
purpose, and building cultures that endure.
We began the year with a message of hope. Not a hollow optimism, but a strategy of the
heart—a commitment to face every challenge with resilience and positivity. Grocery retail
isn’t for the weak as you’ve heard me say many times. It’s tough, demanding work, and our
teams need leaders who stay positive no matter what. Hope, in this sense, isn’t a strategy—
it’s an attitude. I encouraged leaders to become drivers, not passengers. Walk with
purpose, look people in the eye, smile, and model a positive, unshakable spirit. When we
lead with hope, we give our teams permission to believe again.
In “Continual Learnings from Cutting Firewood,” we explored how leadership mirrors the
rhythm of chopping and stacking wood. You can’t cut for long with a dull chain—and you
can’t lead long with a dull mind. The lesson was simple: keep learning. Equip your team.
Respect experience. And take breaks to maintain perspective. In a world of constant
turnover, our greatest gift to our teams is to keep their “chains sharp”—through training,
mentoring, and encouragement. Leadership, like cutting wood, takes endurance, patience,
and constant sharpening. The sharper the leader, the stronger the organization.
Leadership should flow outward, not inward. In “Be a River, Not a Reservoir,” we examined
the difference between hoarding power and sharing it. A reservoir holds, stagnates, and
benefits few. A river flows, nourishes, and creates life. Generous leaders give credit, share
wisdom, and create other leaders. Greedy leaders hoard success and ultimately lose
influence. As I wrote, “The generous person is a river—the greedy person is a reservoir.”
When we give freely of our time, trust, and energy, we become forces of renewal in our
organizations. Great leaders don’t fear losing power; they multiply it by empowering
others.
In April’s “Please, Please, PLEASE Don’t Ignore Me!”, I tackled one of the industry’s greatest
challenges—customer connection. Advertising may drive traffic, but kindness drives loyalty.
Our “See Me. Hear Me. Help Me.” mantra became a call to action: see every customer with
eye contact and a warm greeting, hear them by listening without distraction, and help them
by walking them to what they need, not just pointing. When leaders model this, the “lights
come on” across the store. Customers feel seen, and employees feel proud of the culture
they’re part of. In the end, people don’t remember transactions—they remember how we
made them feel.
May’s article was personal—a “Mother’s Day Tribute” to my mom, Polly, who taught me that
the requirements of a job should be the floor. From wrapping meat at Puckett’s Food Store
in Clinton, Oklahoma to running her own business in Arapaho, Oklahoma, she embodied
what I call the do-whatever-it-takes mindset. Her sacrifices and consistency shaped my
work ethic and my leadership. I challenged readers to model that same reliability—to be
someone their teams and families can depend on. Leadership isn’t about being the boss; it’s
about setting the example through hard work and unwavering standards. Our legacy is
written in the consistency of our work ethic.
In “Leading with a Culture of Whispering Pines,” I shared how sound travels faster than
wind. You hear the whisper of the pines before you feel the breeze. That’s how culture
works. People hear about it long before they experience it. The “sound” of leadership—our
tone, behavior, and calmness—sets the emotional weather for the organization. We were
reminded that great leaders are the calm voice in the room, bringing peace in chaos and
stability in storms. Just as the whispering pines soothe the mountain air, calm leaders
nurture thriving teams. Be the leader whose voice brings peace, not panic.
July took us to Mesa Verde in “Lead Like a National Park Guide.” Watching tour guides
educate with passion sparked a revelation—great leadership is guided discovery. A great
guide blends knowledge with charisma, empathy with structure. They don’t just point out
the path—they walk it with you. I encouraged leaders to connect more deeply with their
teams and customers by personalizing every interaction. When we lead like guides—
answering questions, sharing stories, celebrating wins—we transform work into
experience. As John Maxwell said, “Everyone communicates, but few connect.” This year, we
worked on being the few who do connect.
In “Disruptive Kindness,” I revisited Rule #2 from The 5 Rules—Be Kind. Kindness isn’t
weakness—it’s strength under control. It means telling the truth with grace, holding
people accountable without cruelty, and listening before reacting. Research shows that
kindness builds trust and performance. Leaders who create psychologically safe cultures
retain great people and inspire better results. My challenge was simple: be kind to kind
people, be kind to unkind people, be kind to complicated people—just be kind. It’s the most
disruptive force in leadership because it transforms cultures from fear-based to trust-based.
September’s piece, “If You’re Gonna Be a Bear – Be a Grizzly!”, was a journey back to my
early days at United Supermarkets of Oklahoma. The mentors of that era—Jimmy Carder,
Perry Snell, Ken Gracey—taught lessons that shaped a lifetime: be the calm voice in the
room, do the right thing even if it costs you, protect confidence because it’s fragile, and build
others up, not yourself. Those giants didn’t just manage—they modeled. They built legacies
by investing in others. Today, it’s our turn to pass that torch and create the next generation
of grizzlies—leaders who give their all, every day.
By October, it was time to prepare for the busiest season in grocery retail. In “The 5 Rules
for Winning the Holidays,” we discussed five keys for surviving and thriving through the
chaos: clarity over chaos, lead from the floor, protect energy, elevate the customer
experience, and celebrate wins. When January rolls around, your people won’t remember
the sales report—they’ll remember how you made them feel. The holidays amplify emotions
and reveal leadership character. Calm, kind, and visible leaders are the ones who carry their
teams across the finish line. That’s how legacies are made.
We closed the year with “A Legacy of Gratitude and Leadership,” a Thanksgiving tribute to
my Uncle Charles Douglas Seigrist. His life reminded us that leadership is rooted in
kindness, humility, and faith. A decorated Army officer and lifelong learner, Uncle Charles
believed in giving opportunity, not guarding it. His mantra—“If you can’t be kind to your
family, nothing else really matters”—summed up an entire philosophy of leadership. He
taught us that love is the highest form of leadership, and family the truest measure of
success. His words echo in my heart this season: “Be so intentional every day about being
kind that when they think of you, kindness is their first thought.”
Looking back, 2025 was a mini-masterclass in leadership—taught not in boardrooms but in
grocery aisles, store team meetings, and daily one-on-ones. Each month reminded us that
leadership isn’t about titles or tenure—it’s about people. It’s about building legacies of
kindness, consistency, and courage. So as we turn the page to 2026, may we be rivers that
nourish, not reservoirs that hoard. Guides that inspire, not bosses that intimidate. Voices
that whisper calm in the noise of the storm. And above all else, may we lead with the same
hope and gratitude that carried us through 2025.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey so far and look forward to
2026 being our best year yet!
