10/10/2025
โTime to make the donuts.โ
If youโre over 35, you probably just heard it in his voice.
For years, I pictured some tired guy in the back of every Dunkinโ,
rolling dough before sunrise.
Iโll let you in on a little secretโฆ
thereโs no guy back there.
And Iโll reluctantly admit...
I was in my 40s when I learned the truth.
The donuts were factory-made.
And the magic? Gone.
Like finding out Santa wasnโt real.
And thatโs the funny thing about growing up.
The more you learn how things actually work,
the more you realize how much of life runs on repetition,
not magic.
I remember my first leadership role feeling a lot like that.
๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ.
I see that same look on a lot of new leadersโ faces,
the one that says, โOhโฆ this is what it really is.โ
And when I see that look, I pull them aside and share three things I wish someone had told me (metaphorically speaking of course):
๐ฉ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฌ.
โณ Keep showing up.
โณ Even when itโs early. Even when itโs thankless.
โณ Thatโs how you earn credibility.
๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ .
โณ You donโt have to act inspired every day.
โณ Be honest. Be steady.
โณ Your consistency matters more than your charisma.
๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ.
โณ When the work feels routine,
โณ reconnect to your reason for leading.
โณPurpose is what keeps the lights on when the magic fades.
The โdonut guyโ might not have been real.
But the lesson is.
Show up. Stay steady.
And let the magic find you in the work.
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๐๐ปโโ๏ธ Hi, Iโm Mike. I help new and aspiring leaders rise with more humanity and less fear.
โ Follow me for stories that keep leadership fresh, not factory-made.
