The People Who Shape Us (and the Albums That Remind Us)

There’s a photo I keep coming back to lately.

It’s not of me exactly not yet. It’s my mother, radiant and relaxed, in a pool with my older sister during the summer she was pregnant with me. In a way, it’s my first cameo. But more than that, it’s a window into a time and a rhythm of life that I wasn’t yet a part of, yet somehow deeply shaped me.

That one photo opened the floodgates to a weekend of memories. I spent it with extended family, two of my mother’s sisters among them. We pulled out old albums, told stories, and laughed in the way only families can with layers of inside jokes, gentle corrections, and golden moments no one remembered until someone else started the story.

No devices. No digital distractions. Just memory, presence, and the kind of quiet joy you don’t realize you’ve missed until you have it again.

The Leadership Lessons Hidden in Family Photos

You might be thinking: lovely story, but what does this have to do with leadership?

Actually, everything.

When you think you don’t have time for downtime… you need it most.

The mental clarity, joy, and surprising insight that surfaced during those few unplugged days were more rejuvenating than any strategy offsite. In leadership, we often wait for the "right" time to rest. But connection, real connection, isn’t a luxury. It’s fuel. And often, the moment we believe we can't step away is when we need to step away most.

Assume less. Ask more.

Over those few days, I heard stories I’d never heard before even about people I thought I knew well. The same is true in organizations. The motivations, worries, or strengths of our team members are not static. They evolve with context, with life, with each new challenge. When was the last time you asked, “What’s really driving you right now?” and paused to fully listen?

The impact we leave behind doesn’t retire when we do.

Looking through old pictures reminded me of the legacy my mother and others in our family quietly built. Formative moments don’t always look like breakthroughs in the moment. They’re found in small consistencies: the way someone encouraged you, showed up for you, or believed in you before you believed in yourself. It made me reflect: How am I paying that forward?

Leadership isn’t just about the goals we hit. It’s about the people we invest in, develop, and champion even (especially) when there’s nothing in it for us. That’s the kind of leadership that lives on long after we’re no longer in the room.

Time Travel Isn’t a Tech Problem — It’s a Memory Problem

Photos, stories, and rituals like this offer more than nostalgia. They remind us who we are. And in a world moving at AI speed, that kind of grounding is leadership muscle we all need to build. Because no algorithm can replicate wisdom passed through generations. And no productivity hack can substitute for the emotional clarity that comes when we reconnect with what and who matters most.

If you're feeling tired or uninspired lately, consider this your invitation. Pull out an old album. Call that person. Ask the second question. Give yourself permission to pause and be present.

You might just find what you didn’t know you were missing.

Now, if you'll excuse me,there’s a photo album calling my name.