Latest / The Humanistic Leader Podcast- Dr. Craig Nathanson / The Quiet Power of Encouragement

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The Quiet Power of Encouragement · The Humanistic Leader Podcast- Dr. Craig Nathanson

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  Welcome to the Humanistic Leader Podcast. This is Dr.
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  Craig Nathanson, and in today's short reflection, I want to invite you to slow
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  down for a few moments and think more deeply about leadership,
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  life, work, and what it means to remain human in a rapidly changing world.
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  So today I want to talk about encouragement, not dramatic encouragement,
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  not motivational speech is not social media slogans, but just a quiet act of
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  helping another person believe in themselves.
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  One thing life keeps showing me is that people remember encouragement for years, sometimes decades.
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  Most of us can still remember a teacher, coach, parent, friend,
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  or manager who said something that stayed with us emotionally.
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  And what is interesting is that often the person giving the encouragement has
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  no idea how deeply their words mattered.
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  I think many people today are quietly carrying self-doubt. You know,
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  they wonder, am I doing okay? Do I matter?
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  Am I capable? Does anyone notice? Am I enough?
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  And because so many people carry, as I've seen, invisible what I call uncertainty,
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  encouragement matters more these days, I think, than we realize.
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  Sometimes just, you know, one sincere sentence can change someone's confidence.
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  Sometimes one conversation changes a life direction.
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  And, you know, sometimes one
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  person believing in another person creates momentum that lasts for years.
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  I'll tell you a story. I learned this lesson when I was 19 years old,
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  coaching high school track. One of my athletes was a young man named Anthony.
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  Anthony was not the fastest runner on the team. He wasn't even the strongest
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  athlete. In fact, many people probably would have overlooked him.
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  But I saw something in him. Each day, I encouraged him a little more.
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  I helped him set goals. I reminded him of his progress, and I celebrated small
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  improvements that others might not even have noticed.
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  Week after work, I should say week after week, something began to change.
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  Not only did Anthony's performance change, but his belief in himself changed.
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  One day, after reaching a goal that had once seemed impossible,
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  Anthony looked at me with a huge smile and said, Coach Nate, we did it.
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  Not, I did it. We did it.
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  I've never forgotten those words because encouragement is never really about
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  giving someone confidence.
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  It's about helping them discover confidence that was already there.
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  That lesson has stayed with me throughout my teaching, coaching, and leadership career.
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  One thing I have learned is that encouragement does not mean pretending life
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  is easy. It does not mean avoiding difficult conversations.
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  It just means helping people remember their humanity, strengths,
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  and potential during difficult moments.
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  And, you know, honestly, I think encouragement is becoming even more important in the AI era.
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  Of course, machines could optimize, machines could analyze, machines could generate
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  information, but encouragement, that's still deeply human.
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  The ability to genuinely see another person and help them believe in themselves
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  is still one of the most powerful forms of leadership.
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  I also think many people underestimate how much their words can matter, for example, at home.
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  A parent encouraging a child. A spouse encouraging a partner. A friend checking in.
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  A teacher noticing effort. A manager showing appreciation.
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  You know, these moments create what I call emotional memory.
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  I finished a semester recently, and after class, on the last day of class,
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  a student came up. This was a student who had sat in the back of the room. He was quiet.
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  Didn't say much. He came up to me and shook my hand and would not let go of my hand.
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  He said, I've been in two of your classes now, and I just want you to know with
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  a little tear in his eye, your classes made a big difference in my life.
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  It helped me to believe in myself and come up with new dreams for myself.
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  And the whole time he's talking to me, he's shaking his hand. He would not let go.
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  It must have lasted a minute. I finally had to awkwardly pull away.
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  So remember that people often will forget in life our titles and accomplishments,
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  but they will remember how we made them feel.
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  All right, I'd like to invite you now into a short reflection,
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  as I like to do on these podcasts.
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  If you can, close your eyes for a moment. Take a deep breath.
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  I'd like you to think back to a time when you were struggling.
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  Maybe you were uncertain. Maybe you were afraid.
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  Maybe you were ready to just give up.
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  Now ask yourself, who encouraged you?
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  Who saw something in you before you could see it in yourself?
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  What did they say? How did it make you feel?
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  Notice that even now, years later, their words may still be living inside you.
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  Okay, now let's reverse this exercise. Picture someone in your life right now.
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  Could be a co-worker, student, a friend, a family member.
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  Someone who may be carrying more doubt than you realize.
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  What encouragement might they need to hear? What appreciation have you never expressed?
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  What message have you been postponing?
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  What kindness could you communicate today? Now, you don't need a perfect speech.
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  You don't need a profound wisdom.
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  Sometimes a simple sentence I found is just enough.
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  I believe in you. I'm proud of you.
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  I noticed your effort. You matter.
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  And my favorite, I appreciate you. So sometimes the words we almost didn't say
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  become the words another person never forgets.
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  Before we finish today, I'd like to leave you with a small challenge.
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  Within the next 24 hours, I would like you to encourage just one person.
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  Send a text, make a phone call, write a note, better yet, say something face-to-face.
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  But do it sincerely. Don't expect anything in return.
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  Just offer encouragement. That's all. You may never know the impact.
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  But then again, many years from now, someone may remember your words when they need them most.
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  And that is the quiet power of encouragement.
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  This is Dr. Craig Nathanson, and wherever you are on your journey,
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  remember to always be your best friend.
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  Learn to lead yourself before leading others, and keep becoming more human in
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  a rapidly changing world. Until next time.