From
a LinkedIn Post :
After
a 19-hour flight, I was standing in line at Newark, a bit dazed and exhausted.
I wasn’t expecting anything more than the usual immigration routine.
Finally, I reached the counter.
The officer barely looked up, and asked
“What’s the purpose of your visit?”
“Business,” I answered.
They were now used to getting
beyond these superficial responses, so her next question was “What specifically
do you do?”
I said “Well, I am an executive
coach. I help leaders become their best”
She paused, looked up for the first
time, and asked something unexpected:
“So, how can I be my best?”
For a moment, I was caught off guard. I
looked into her eyes and asked: "If time and money were not a constraint,
who could you be?"
She hesitated, then admitted—she had
always dreamed of working at the White House. But here she was.
I turned up the dial. “What excuses are
you giving yourself for not getting there?”
She fell silent, thinking.
Then, with a small smile, she asked,
“Can I write that down? I want my husband to answer it too.”
Before I left, I offered her one last
question:
“How is your Urgent preventing your
Important?”
She quickly jotted it down and stamped
my passport.
As I walked away, I turned to see her
watching me leave. We waved goodbye, knowing we'd likely never meet again.
But it made me wonder:
What would it take for us to help others
grow without expectation?
How can mere minutes with you become
memorable moments of insight for others?
How can you help others break out of
their own boxes?
You never know when a simple question
might help someone see new possibilities.
