On a sight-seeing trip my wife and I stumbled into a back-country lodge. The host greeted us at the front door and offered a warm welcome. After a brief conversation we inquired about getting a bite to eat. She indicated this was not typically that kind of business but she would see what she could round up.

She escorted us into the dining area and motioned for us to sit. Then she pulled up a chair and proceeded to share stories. After several minutes, she remembered why we were there. She apologized and proceeded to the kitchen to fix up a couple of the tastiest smoked turkey sandwiches I’ve ever tasted.

Reflecting back on the experience I couldn’t help but feel that I had just visited with my best friend. Was it the warm welcome, the stories she told or the extra care to make a delicious sandwich? I’m not sure which of those things did the trick, but I certainly wanted to share emails and make a promise to stay in touch.

It dawned on me later that this person didn’t know me from Adam. I had never seen her before and probably won’t ever see her again. Even though, she treated the two of us with the warmth and care of long lost friends. What a testament to whom she is.

What if in our leadership endeavors we gave to others the attention that lodge host gave to us? I venture to say that we would have a tremendous number of followers. I went away that day inspired to lead the way to lasting friendships.