Lisa Sees What I Miss

Last week, I was sitting with a friend talking about LLC.

At one point, he said, “When I looked at your logo earlier, I thought: Lisa leads Chris.”

I laughed and said, “That’s interesting. It actually stands for Lisa, LORD, Chris.”

Then I paused.

Because his version wasn’t wrong.

Last month, we talked about marriage and this idea of “us-ness.” Becoming one. Not just in name, but in how we live, lead, and show up together.

Part of that has meant shifting LLC to be less centered on me and more reflective of us.

This week, I’ve been thinking about Lisa. The way she shows up. And the way she leads, often without even realizing it.

I saw it a couple times in sessions this past week.

I won’t share details, but I will share what was said.

At the end of one conversation, someone said, “Lisa, I really appreciate your empathy.”

That’s one of her gifts.

When we walk leaders through a core values exercise, we ask them to reflect on people they admire most and why. Lisa is always on my list. And the words that come up are consistent. Empathy. Compassion. Love.

Not occasionally. Consistently.

In another session, someone said, “Lisa always seems to ask the right reflective question at the right moment.”

She would say the same about me when it comes to asking questions.

But I don’t think she fully sees that in herself. Others do.

And then there’s her leadership.

There’s a quote that says if you’re leading and no one is following, you’re just taking a walk.

The opposite can also be true.

Some people are leading and don’t even realize it until they turn around and see who’s following.

Years ago, Lisa was at a leadership retreat with about fifty people. They split into two teams and each team selected a leader.

I was on one team. She was on the other.

Her team unanimously chose her.

I wasn’t even considered on mine.

Her team won that weekend. And that’s when she got the nickname “Chief.”

On the way to a wedding last week, I told her, “I still don’t think you realize how influential you are.”

When it comes to LLC, people are drawn to her. To the way she listens. The way she sees people. The way she responds.

The truth is, people aren’t following me or her.

They’re responding to what happens when we show up together.

But if I’m honest, a big part of that is this:

Lisa often notices things I overlook.

Not because I don’t care.

But because I’m moving too fast.

And I’m realizing that doesn’t just show up in marriage.

It shows up in conversations. In leadership. In how I make decisions. In how I carry things.

We’ll keep unpacking that in the weeks ahead.