The other day, I was leaving the office and heading to a wonderful lunch with my wife. No business talk, no talk of teenagers and braces or obligations and plans. Frankly, the weather was ugly — raining and 34 degrees. NOT the day to spend much time outside. Then it happened. As I was leaving our parking lot I noticed an older gentleman with a cane walking around his car, ankle deep in water, mud and melting snow. His car? Stuck in the mud, having missed the turn due to rather poor visibility and driving conditions. The gentleman’s wife was in the car and she could not get out without the use of a walker.

Do I drive away and continue with my plans? I only have an hour for lunch. Did they notice me? Someone else will stop, right? We all fight this internal dialogue. Trying to get their car out of the mud and waiting an hour with them for AAA was easy. In fact, it started to feel great. What struck me was how good it felt to help someone who needed it. To walk by, take notice and do something about it.

As I was standing outside, I started to think about this story and think about our habits as leaders. As leaders we know how to plan our days and stack meetings on top of one another. We let the world know how self-important we are by the pace we push and the company we keep. However, who on your team is stuck in the mud and cannot get out? Who needs us to stop, take time out of our day and help? How many times as leaders do miss opportunities to serve by rushing right past someone who needs us?

Later that day, I stopped what I was doing and I went around and actually looked at each employee. I asked them how they were. Offered to help. I listened. I’m not sure how many “cars I got out of the mud,” however, it felt as good as my earlier community service!

As a leader, who have you stopped to actually help today? Go take action now! It costs little, yet pays huge social dividends!