Every Great Leader Begins by Seeing Potential

Most people don't slow down at a traffic light to admire a utility box.  Recently, as I drove through downtown Greensboro, I found myself doing exactly that.  What once were ordinary metal boxes have become colorful works of art, each one displaying the imagination of local elementary school students. They brighten the streets, spark conversations, and remind us that creativity can appear in the most unexpected places.

As I admired each design, I realized the artwork wasn't the most inspiring part of the story.  The real masterpiece began long before the paint was ever applied. It began when a teacher noticed potential in a student and simply said, "Why don't you enter?"

That small invitation reminded me of my own childhood.  When I was in elementary school, my teacher, Ms. Strickland, entered one of my paintings—a colorful watercolor of Mount Fuji—into the North Carolina State Fair. I wasn't trying to become an artist. I was simply a young boy who loved to draw.

To my surprise, the painting won First Place. Looking back, the blue ribbon didn't make me an artist. It gave me confidence to believe I could become one.

Association leaders, meeting planners, board members, committee chairs, and volunteers have opportunities like this every single day. Not with paintbrushes, with people.

Three Leadership Lessons Hidden in Every Signal Box

Great leaders create opportunities before people believe they are ready.
Every volunteer, emerging leader, or first-time attendee is waiting for someone to extend an invitation. Whether it's serving on a committee, leading a project, speaking at a conference, or mentoring others, confidence often begins because someone else believed first.

Recognition inspires far more than performance—it builds future leaders.
Awards, thank-you notes, public recognition, and simple words of encouragement may seem small in the moment, but they often become defining memories. People rarely forget the leaders who noticed them, encouraged them, and gave them an opportunity to contribute.

Strong organizations don't simply manage members—they cultivate potential.
The most successful associations understand their greatest asset isn't a strategic plan or annual conference.  It's people. When leaders intentionally develop talent, celebrate creativity, and invest in future generations, they create organizations that continue thriving long after today's leadership has passed the baton. 

It was my privilege to participate in Downtown Greensboro's Signal Box Project by recording a message for the students and presenting gift certificates to their teachers for additional classroom art supplies.

Those certificates represented something much larger than art supplies. They were investments in future architects, entrepreneurs, educators, designers, community leaders—and perhaps even the next generation of association volunteers who will someday lead organizations of their own.  As keynote speakers, meeting planners, and association leaders, we often focus on delivering memorable conferences.

But perhaps our greatest responsibility is something even more meaningful. To create moments that encourage someone to believe they can make a difference. Because every great movement begins with someone willing to see potential.  Every successful organization grows because leaders develop people.  And every masterpiece—whether it's a painting, a career, or a life of service—begins when someone is given an opportunity.