Monday Morning Musings
Volume XXIV, Number 37 (Issue 1198) September 13, 2026
Battling Complacency – Part VIII Connections and Actuators
Show Me You Care
Quintessential quotes about caring can be found in and for virtually every aspect of life. For instance, there is General Colin Powell’s statement that speaks directly to a leader’s role, be it in the military or any other facet of life:
“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
From the political world we have Harry S. Truman’s famous line:
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
From the world of sports there are a host of comments made by successful coaches, among them Lou Holtze who said:
“Teamwork is the foundation of success. The three universal questions that an individual asks of his coach, player, employee, employer are: Can I trust you? Are you committed to excellence? And, do you care about me?”
We can add from the field of religion the observation of Fr. Jerome Cummings:
“Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words.”
From education circles comes Yahuda Berg who said:
“Listening better. Caring more. Being there. It’s not big changes, but the little ones in our daily lives that make all the difference.”
From the realm of business, we have Ron Kaufman’s:
“Every service problem is an opportunity to show you care.”
And from the entertainment industry comes Steve Harvey who shared:
“My father instilled in me to take care of my family. Show up even when you don’t want to show up.”
A quick Google search will reveal dozens if not hundreds of additional quotes that speak to the same concept. Namely, it is our actions more so than our words that speak so well to the people and things we care most about. As such they reveal our true character. What is more, when it comes to showing our real feelings about/towards others, be it disdain, ambivalence, or genuine caring, there is a natural reciprocity that tends to occur. Thus, the final quote I will leave you with and possibly the most well-known when it comes to the significance of caring is from Theodore Roosevelt who said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
I hope you have found benefit in this series so far and that you will join me next week when we look to begin wrapping up this discussion of some of the key steps leaders can take to combat complacency when and where it rears its ugly head.
Soli Deo Gloria
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210) 260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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