If you want to win at work, start by winning at home.

This snapshot from a morning workout captures something I’ve always appreciated. Two friends standing side-by-side, one of them stretching up onto his tiptoes… and still looking up.

The height difference between my friend Brian Stegall and me makes for a fun picture, but it also mirrors something much more meaningful.

Earlier this year, during a virtual roundtable with a group of business owners, Brian was walking us through several difficult decisions he was facing. The group listened, questioned, and offered perspective. Then someone asked a simple but revealing question:

“What does your wife think?”

Because Brian was working from his home office, his wife, Amber, happened to be passing by. He called her in and asked for her thoughts. What she said shaped the entire moment.

Her words, paraphrased, were this:

"Brian is an incredible dad, a loving husband, and a faithful provider for their home. I have full confidence in whatever decision he choses to make because he has the best interest of our family and others in mind."

The room fell silent. It wasn’t dramatic. It was powerful.

Faces on the screen shifted. Eyes filled. What she offered was more than support — it was affirmation. Genuine, public, and unwavering.

It revealed something important: the leadership Brian brings to his family directly strengthens the leadership he brings to his work. And Amber’s belief in him elevated that strength in front of every leader on that call.

-Strong at home.
-Stronger at work.

Strong leadership at home isn’t separate from strong leadership at work.
It is the foundation.

Brian demonstrates it.
Amber reinforces it.
And everyone around them feels the impact.