Lyndon Johnson, for all his good and all of his bad, often shared the story of a cook he employed while advocating for civil rights - Zephyr Wright.
Nobody would have thought that a humble cook could make such an impact on someone such as Johnson - but she did. Her story of indignities suffered ignited a spark in Johnson that would cause him to take her story far and wide as a tool to garner support for the Civil Rights Act - like a bee pollinating flowers.
As a leader or a human, the best thing we can do for each other and ourselves is never to underestimate ourselves or others. The next best thing is to help others by giving voice to people who’s stories haven’t yet been heard.
My last point is to consider this reversal - sometimes the people who’s stories might need to be heard are people you may find disagreeable. Those people who are most disagreeable to you likely are disagreeable because they think the rest of us have forgotten them.
Never underestimate and always give voice to the story of others.
