That is where I cut my leadership teeth.
On my very first day, a male guard took his mouthguard out just to tell me he didn’t like me. As a natural people-pleaser, every instinct in me screamed please be polite! — but I held my calm. My response?
“How lovely to meet someone so honest. I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience here.”
(Inside my head: because no one else here is walking around with a mouthguard, you must’ve copped a few hits…) 😏
That moment taught me a lot: leadership isn’t about proving you’re the loudest or toughest. It’s about staying composed, confident, and keeping your sense of humour intact — even when chaos is thrown at you from all directions.
Composure always wins. Even against mouthguards. 💪