Labels Are Limiting—Belief Is Liberating

Leadership Lessons from My Friend Glenn

When I was in 3rd grade, I met a new kid on the bus who would quietly reshape how I saw the world—and how I lead today. His name was Glenn, and he was legally blind. At the time, I had never met someone who couldn’t see well. I expected sunglasses, a cane—something dramatic. Glenn had none of that. He was just Glenn. And from the moment we met, he defied every expectation I didn’t even realize I had.

Glenn didn’t want sympathy. He didn’t need to be treated differently. He had a go-kart, a moped, and an independence that made you forget he was blind at all. He couldn’t legally drive, but he adapted to the world in ways most people wouldn’t dare. (Okay—yes, I once let him drive my car while I acted as his eyes… not my best decision, but it says something about his confidence—and my trust in him.)

Looking back now, the leadership lesson is clear:
Never define people by a label. Believe in their potential instead.

But there’s more.

Glenn didn’t just break through labels—he never accepted them in the first place. He believed he could do anything. And the most remarkable part? He made you believe you could too.

I didn’t fully grasp this as a kid. I didn’t come into that friendship with some deep understanding of human potential. What changed me was him. Watching Glenn figure things out on his own—college, travel, relationships, life in big cities like Chicago—showed me what quiet courage looks like. Not just resilience in the face of adversity, but a core belief that nothing was out of reach.

That belief was contagious. Glenn made people see possibility—not just in him, but in themselves. That’s rare. And that’s leadership.

So here’s what Glenn taught me, and what I try to carry forward as a leader:

• Labels limit people. Belief lifts them.
• Empowering someone isn’t about solving things for them—it’s about seeing what they’re capable of, even when the world doesn’t.
• True leadership is contagious belief.

To this day, I tell my kids stories about Glenn—not because of what he couldn’t do, but because of everything he did. He’s now married to an incredible woman, has a beautiful family, and continues to live with the same sense of purpose and strength I saw as a kid.

He didn’t need perfect eyesight. He had vision.