$25 a day…

I was a young leader. Eager. Loyal. Doing exactly what I was told.

We traveled constantly. And the rule was clear — $25 a day for meals. That was the line. I held it. I enforced it. I believed in it.

Then one night at dinner, our executive lead opened the wine list.

The first $200 bottle came out. Then another. Then another.

And between pours, he lectured us — hard — about making sure our teams stayed within that $25 limit.

I sat there and watched it happen.

These were people who left their families on Sunday nights. Lived out of suitcases. Delivered work that made the company look brilliant in front of clients paying us a fortune for it.

And we were telling them a $25 a day meal “stipend” was their reward.

Something shifted in me at that table. I didn't say a word. But I made a decision.

I was done protecting the corporate bottom line at the expense of the people doing the actual work.

From that night forward, I protected something else — the dignity of my people. Their sacrifice. Their commitment. Their families back home wondering when mom or dad was coming through the door.

Here's what that night taught me, and what I've carried for 38 years:

Leaders who demand sacrifice from their people while exempting themselves from the same standard are not leaders. They're hypocrites with titles.

Your people are watching. Always.

They see the wine. They see the lecture. They see the gap between what you say and what you do.

And they remember.

Take care of the people who take care of the work. Period.

Be the leader people brag about. Not the one they have to survive.