I met Cameron Crocker this spring when he started spraying our yard for ticks and bugs, and right away I could tell he was a fine young man. He was friendly, thoughtful, and always went above and beyond. He didn’t just spray the basics; he made sure to cover the woods and every little nook where ticks might hide.
He even sprinkled granules in my flower pots as a little bonus. After each visit, he would send me a text message with updates, such as, “I was very careful not to disturb the bird’s nest on your deck.”
Month after month, when he pulled into the driveway, I would make a point to step outside and say hello, chatting with him a bit before he got started. Over time, those short conversations allowed me to get to know the person servicing our home a little bit better.
One day, he told me he had been to three Little League games for his 9-year-old that week. I asked, “Cameron, just how old are you?” He told me he was 24 and had his son when he was just 14. He also shared that he now has two daughters, ages 4 and 6, and that he and his fiancée have been together since he became a dad at 14. Back then, he was too young to be hired anywhere, so he had to come up with a way to earn money for his young family. He ended up strapping a gas can to his back and pushing a mower around town to earn money.
I was so moved by his story that I shared a post about him on Facebook, and so many people praised this young man. Later that evening, I got a text from Cameron saying, “Thank you for the amount of joy your post brought me. Seeing all the positivity really lifted me and made a difference in the way I view the world. I can easily get caught up in the negativity of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Last month, when Cameron came back, I asked if his bosses or anyone in his office recognized the post that they had been tagged in numerous times, as no one seemed to recognize it. To my surprise, not one person from his office or leadership team ever commented or congratulated him.
That broke my heart, and to be honest, I felt sickened that the owner and/or leadership of this company couldn’t appreciate the young man who was working ten hours a day in the 95-degree heat, representing his company. Cameron is the heart of that company. He shows up with integrity and represents their business in the very best way. He works ten hours a day and makes about $100 a day. The owners of this company have a lot to learn about running a company. They need to do better.
Strong leadership is not about titles, ownership, or the amount of money in your bank account. Real leadership is about recognizing the people who show up every day, who work hard, and celebrate the people who make company, school, or business what it is.
It reminds me of a story I once heard.
A father gave his daughter an old car and told her to see what it was worth. She went to a used car lot, and they offered her $1,000. At a pawn shop, they offered just $100. But when she took the car to a collector’s club, they offered $100,000 because it was a rare Nissan Skyline R34.
Her father told her, “The right place values you the right way. If you are not valued, do not be angry. It means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are the ones who appreciate you. Never stay where no one sees your worth.”
That lesson applies to Cameron, but it also applies to all of us. We each deserve to be in places such as workplaces, friendships, and communities that recognize our value. And each of us can practice leadership by recognizing others. It does not take much.
You can:
- Say “thank you” with sincerity and specificity
- Write a handwritten note of appreciation
- Publicly acknowledge someone’s hard work in a meeting or email
- Ask about their life outside of work and really listen
- Celebrate small wins, not just the big ones
These simple acts of recognition can change someone’s day, and sometimes even their life.
So today, I celebrate Cameron. And I challenge all of us to look around and ask, Who can I recognize today? Who can I remind that they matter?
Because joy grows when people feel valued.
With gratitude,
