It started with Michele.
Michele Alfano’s bio landed in front of me for a simple reason: a recent promotion and a routine request for approval before it went live on our website. Nothing unusual—until one line telling of her mission trips, roofing, and hanging sheetrock in the summer heat of Memphis and the Appalachians. I laughed, then smiled. In just a few words, it explained the kind of leader she is—hands-on, unafraid of work, long before any title followed.
That moment sent me back through the rest of our leadership bios, reading them differently this time. Not skimming for credentials, but for backstories.
What I found was remarkable.
Leaders who worked overnight shifts in rubber plants before heading to class. Others who stocked shelves, packed groceries, washed cars, repo’d vehicles, or slung sandwiches in a brutal post‑9/11 job market just to keep moving forward.
Some started at 12 or 13—helping in family dry‑cleaning shops, fixing engines, pressure‑washing driveways, or selling firewood before they could even drive [that would be me].
Others learned discipline in print shops, aerospace quality labs, fish markets, crisis hotlines, car lots—and yes, from learning how to skin an animal and tan the hide.
And one leader climbed literal mountains—including Mt. Kilimanjaro. That detail adds texture and reality, reminding us that leadership is forged in real effort, risk, and perseverance, not just résumé lines.
Different paths. Same foundation. Every one of our leaders showed early they weren’t afraid of work—or of starting at the bottom. They climbed not by chasing titles, but by doing the job in front of them, learning the why, and earning the next rung.
We’re fortunate—blessed, really—to be led by people who were workers first. Titles came later.