Meet Steve, our Leadership Coach at EnerCorp. In addition to coaching our employees to be better leaders, he shares invaluable leadership lessons with the team. We feel it is selfish to keep these lessons to ourselves, so we’ve decided to start the “Leadership Moments with Steve” series. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Lesson #1: Never assume they’re not the part just because they don’t look it.

In my coaching journey, I once had a young football player named Chris. He didn’t have the typical build of a football player—small, thin, and not particularly athletic. At first, I doubted if he could handle the physicality of the game. The league was fiercely competitive, with no weight restrictions.

But Chris surprised us all. He’d get knocked down hard, tears in his eyes, yet he refused to quit. He volunteered as our scout team quarterback, determined to become our quarterback someday. Despite my reservations, he persevered. What we saw wasn’t a typical football player; what we found was a heart full of determination and passion.

Fast forward two years, Chris still didn’t look the part, but he’d become our go-to player, impressing us with his unwavering dedication. Had we dismissed him based on appearances, we would’ve missed out on an incredible player.

In the business world, do we sometimes make similar judgments? Do we let appearances cloud our judgment? We may be missing out on extraordinary talent. Look past the surface, discover the heart and the passion within. Removing our filters, even momentarily, can reveal the greatness in others.

So, remember, appearances can be deceiving. Get to know the heart and passion of those around you. They might surprise you.