Some years ago I had the opportunity to work with a manager who was eager to land an executive role within her company. You can read more about her story in this month’s blog and learn how she moved ahead into a leadership role. She also taught me a lesson that still fills me with gratitude after all these years.

Writing about her story prompted me to share a story of my own regarding what I learned from her during our work together. Because as much as I recognize the blind spots we discover about our roles in business, I’m always delighted when I learn something new that I can add to my toolkit to help others navigate more effectively in their roles. I was particularly pleased and a bit surprised when she offered me a tip in return.

During one of our coaching sessions, my client noticed my shoes and commented, “By the way, nice shoes.” I too had been coached to buy better shoes since I was working in Fortune 500 companies. A dear friend pulled me aside and remined me that I could do a better job of looking the part of the successful consultant.

He led me to buy a pair of high quality dress shoes claiming that the hefty price I paid would save me money in the long run and profit me in how clients experienced my presence. I gulped from sticker shock when I saw the price tag. I had become use to paying $100/150 for a pair of dress shoes every year and a half or so. I decided to take the plunge and invest in myself. I was so pleased at how comfortable they were and how well they held up that I purchased a second pair in a different color a few years later. That was over fifteen years ago. I still wear those shoes today and can happily say, I made a great investment!

Lesson Learned: Stay open to learning and you’re sure to grow and humanize yourself with others. You’ll discover that you connect more effectively in your relationships with direct reports, colleagues and senior leadership.