Seeing all these posts on the 10-Year Challenge made me think back to a decade ago in my career, and the terrific leadership lesson I learned from a gas station turkey sandwich…at 2am nonetheless.

You know what isn’t a good idea?

A gas station turkey sandwich. At 2am in northern Massachusetts. Not that Massachusetts has a lot to do with it, but it is where it all started.

A coworker (Josh Beckner) and I were flying out east to meet a client in New Hampshire. The following day I hoped to transition account responsibility. As is customary for winter travel we were delayed. And delayed. And delayed.

We landed at Boston Logan Airport shortly after midnight and I was starving. At that moment, I was willing to eat just about anything.

We picked up our rental car and headed north for the granite state. One stop along the way found us at an interstate gas station and me wolfing down a turkey sandwich. I probably had a little mayo on my cheek I ate it so fast. I couldn’t tell you how long the sandwich had been there, or if there was even a date on the packaging. Didn’t matter. My raging appetite subsided.

Fast forward to the following day.

We had a meeting with a great client of ours and a celebration was in order that night for goals we’d achieved together from the previous year. About 10:30am (so I remember it), it hit me. There are many names for what happened. I’ll simply call it one of the worst days of my life.

Montezuma’s Revenge!!! 

I probably went to the bathroom about 25 times that day, and I wish I was exaggerating. After you go about five times breaking up a meeting with a client, people start to notice. When you hit 20…a few began to worry. Things were not going well.

By noon I was worthless. Exhausted. Sore, empty, and embarrassed. All I could do was get back to my hotel and lay on the bathroom floor in the fetal position hoping, praying for it all to end.

The rest of the day was up to Josh.

You’re probably wondering, what could I possibly learn from this?

I’ll tell you.

#1 Gas Station Turkey – Pass. Pass. Pass. Always and forever pass on this as a viable food option. That or deal with the following day’s worth of diarrhea awaiting you.

#2 Sometimes a 2am turkey sandwich gives you the motivation you need to get out of your own way.

I was in Josh’s way. I didn’t get out of his way til I was nearly incapacitated. Josh is a great comrade. Well spoken and always prepared to a fault.  And may I add, always impeccably dressed. He handled and ran that meeting likely better than I ever would’ve. He’s gone on to be very successful in his career with Honda Motor Company because of these very attributes and I’m not the least bit surprised.

The client relationship transferred that very day, because there was no other viable option. There was no other choice.

While I’m not going to recommend going through the pain I did to receive this revelation, I do offer you this advice.

Where are you standing in the way of someone else progress? Where could you take a “2am Turkey Sandwich” break and let others be great with a challenge or opportunity? Give them the responsibility and let them IMPRESS THE HELL out of you!

Ten years later I’d like to tell you I’ve gotten better at this. Not perfect, or the best, but certainly progressing with experience.

ACTION ITEM: Let people be great. Let them surprise you. There will always be the need to earn this opportunity, but understand when enough is enough. Get out of the way and grow others through a challenge of their own. A challenge they’re asking for.