Tell Me About the Leader Who Changed Your Life

I’m looking for thousands of stories about remarkable leaders. I hope you’ll share yours!

When I was 22 years old, I worried about losing my job. At the time, I was working in my first corporate communications role, trying desperately to prove myself. I worked long hours and weekends as my norm.

And yet, I constantly felt like I was falling behind.

For more context, I was a broke, recent college graduate living paycheck to paycheck. Student loan payments were looming and there was no safety net. So, when my boss, Carol Bivins, unexpectedly called me into her office one day, I assumed the worst.

I actually wondered if I should start packing up my desk.

Instead, Carol looked me in the eye and said three things that changed my career and, in many ways, my life overall.

First, she said: “Shira, you are a great writer.”

Carol started by seeing something good in me and naming it.

Then came the harder part: “However, you’re disorganized, and it’s causing you to miss deadlines.”

Yeah, that one sucked. But because Carol had already recognized what I was doing well, I could actually hear what came next without shutting down.

Then she brought it all home by saying: “There are a couple of things we can do together to help you get organized and improve your performance.”

And she did exactly that.

Carol didn’t just point out the problem. She gave me a roadmap to learn how to manage multiple priorities and focus on what mattered most.

I walked out of her office feeling like someone had taken a 100-pound backpack off my shoulders.

Within a year, I earned a promotion.

But what Carol gave me went far beyond better project management skills.

That promotion gave me financial breathing room. Her belief in me gave me confidence. I became more comfortable sharing my ideas. I was less stressed. I had more room to enjoy my life.

Carol didn’t simply help me become a better employee. She changed what was possible for me.

My Remarkable Boss story

Who was your Carol?

Think about the most remarkable leader you’ve ever worked with.

Maybe they saw potential in you before you could see it yourself.

Gave you an opportunity you weren’t sure you were ready for.

Shared a difficult truth you needed to hear.

Stood up for you when it mattered.

Maybe they said one sentence 20 years ago that you can still repeat word for word today.

Who was that person?

And more importantly:

What did they actually do that made them remarkable?

That question is the reason I created The Remarkable Leadership Project™.

I want to collect thousands of real stories about the leaders who changed someone’s confidence, career, performance, perspective or future.

Not theories about great leadership. But Real people. Real moments. Real impact.

Because I believe if we understand what remarkable leaders actually do, we can help more leaders do it too.

Your story matters more than you might think

Leadership is often measured in numbers, like revenue, productivity, engagement scores or retention. And of course, those things matter a lot.

But years later, when we think about the best leaders we worked with, people rarely start with their quarterly results.

We remember how they made us feel.

What stands out is the chance they gave us. The conversation we needed and that moment of belief. The way they challenged us to become better.

And sometimes, as Carol did for me, they change the trajectory of a life without realizing the full impact they’re having in the moment.

That’s what I want to understand, so we can help more leaders activate the remarkable in their teams and themselves.

Carol and I had a lifelong relationship. She passed away in 2018, but I’m still carrying what she taught me into the way I lead, coach and speak to audiences about bringing out the best in others and myself.

And that is a pretty incredible return on one conversation.

Now I’d love to hear your story

👉 Share your Remarkable Leadership story here. It only takes a few minutes! https://shiramiller.com/remarkable-leadership-project/
And if someone immediately came to mind while you were reading this, I’d love for you to tag them in the comments and tell them why.

Remarkable leaders deserve to know the difference they made.

And their stories might just teach the rest of us how to make that kind of difference, too.