Every boss leader I know
has thought about quitting.
Not the job.
The caring.
Because caring hurts.
It means staying late
to fix someone else’s mistake.
Absorbing stress
that was never yours.
Showing grace
to people who don’t always deserve it.
So you tell yourself to stop.
Focus on deliverables.
Treat work like a transaction,
not a calling.
And for a while,
that works.
You become efficient.
Focused.
Detached.
You stop caring.
And strangely,
it feels peaceful.
But it also feels empty.
Because no matter how tired you get,
something in you still believes
that how you lead
matters as much
as what you deliver.
So you care again.
Even when it drains you.
Even when it feels one-sided.
Not because everyone deserves it.
But because you do.
Because caring is part of your DNA
as a leader.
And you refuse to let exhaustion
rewrite who you are.
Maybe that’s the real mark of leadership.
Not the title.
Not the targets.
But the choice to keep caring even when it hurts.
Do it
even if your boss isn’t leading well.
Even if you have no role model.
Even if no one notices.
Even if no one thanks you.
Do it
even when they’re not “your people.”
Even when it would be easier
to withdraw.
Don’t stop being good
just because others aren’t.
You always have the choice
to care less.
But real leaders
choose to care more.
Not because it’s easy.
Because it’s who they are.
Care.
Build people.
Touch lives.