PART THREE – Belief In Action: The UPS Promotion From Within Culture
(Episode 3 of 4)
Previously in The Mentor: Believing in People Before They Believe in Themselves…
We began at a kitchen table in New Jersey, where a father’s wisdom became the compass for a lifetime of leadership. We stepped into Coach Wooden’s living room, where industriousness and enthusiasm revealed the heart of mentorship shaping people, not performance. And we discovered that belief is not just a feeling, it is a responsibility. A leader’s responsibility to see potential before it’s visible and nurture it until it becomes real.
Belief In Action – Growing Up in a Promotion From Within Culture
I grew up in a company that lived the promotion from within philosophy. This wasn’t a program. It wasn’t a slogan. It wasn’t a compensation tool. It was a cultural anchor, a promise that if you worked hard, stayed committed, and brought enthusiasm every day, you could rise as far as your effort and character would take you.
People didn’t feel like mercenaries. They felt like partners. We grew up in the UPS family.
And it was in that environment that I learned one of the most important truths of leadership:
As a leader, you must believe in your people until they are ready to believe in themselves.
My first few promotions from driver to supervisor, and from supervisor to manager were filled with excitement, pride, and more than a little self doubt. I wasn’t sure I was ready. I wasn’t sure I belonged. I wasn’t sure I could do it.
But UPS believed in me. My manager believed in me. They saw something in me I hadn’t yet learned to see in myself.
And that belief became my responsibility.
The Full Circle of Belief — UPS → MBE/The UPS Store Franchise Network
Later, when I had the privilege of leading the MBE/The UPS Store Franchise Network, that responsibility became even clearer. UPS believed in me long before I fully believed in myself no AI, no algorithm, no computer model would have picked me for that role. But UPS did. They saw something in me that wasn’t yet visible on paper.
And now, the franchise owners, operators, and teams needed me to do for them what UPS had done for me. They weren’t just looking for direction they were looking for belief. They needed someone to see their potential, support their growth, and stand with them as they built their businesses.
It was the circle of mentoring belief the moment when I realized that the same belief that lifted me was now mine to give. And that is the true responsibility of leadership: to believe in people until they are ready to believe in themselves.
What Great Coaches Actually Do
Great coaches don’t give answers, they create thinkers. They don’t build dependence, they build confidence. They don’t shape careers, they shape people.
And while every mentor has their own style, the best ones share five behaviors that separate good leaders from great ones:
- Seeing potential early — before it’s obvious before it’s proven.
- Asking more than telling — because questions unlock ownership.
- Giving people room to grow — growth requires space, not micromanagement.
- Holding high standards with high support — accountability balanced with compassion.
- Celebrating progress, not perfection — because small wins compound into breakthroughs.
These five behaviors are the daily expression of belief. They are how leaders turn potential into performance and performance into pride.
Closing Reflection – Belief in Action
As you reflect on your own leadership journey, consider this:
What does it mean to be coachable and why is it the bridge between potential and progress?
Because belief can lift someone. But coachability can launch them.
In the final episode of this series, we’ll explore the underrated superpower of being coachable, the gratitude that keeps leaders grounded, and the one word that defines your leadership legacy the word that becomes your brand, your promise, and the story people will tell about you long after your career is complete
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I believe that none of us can achieve success without some help along the way. For each of us, there is a person, a mentor, who we are grateful towards and who can help us get to where we aspire to be. Sharing stories and experiences as a speaker is a way of recognizing the value of these experiences and giving back to the next generation of leaders. It also is a way of demonstrating in words and deed the value I am placing in mentorship. As for me, I have been fortunate to have worked with and mentored by some incredibly special people, and none more incredible than Coach John Wooden.
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I have broad experiences to share that can help others as they grow and take on new challenges. During my time as president of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, I integrated over 20 acquisitions that became UPS Supply Chain Solutions. I steered UPS’s entry into the health care industry and created the mantra, “It’s a patient, not a package. ®” With the ability to see a clear vision of the changing business landscape, the passion to develop strategies, tactics, and metrics to drive desired results, and the passion to develop the Best, The Brightest, Most Informed, and Best People in the industries they serve.
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THE LEADERSHIP LIBRARY PODCAST SEASON 9
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We launched Season 9 of the Leadership Library Podcast on October 7th, 2025. The primary focus of Season 9 will center on building a World Class Team and HighPerformance Selling. We will a have a subject matter expert joining us on each episode with real life experiences. We are on our way to 2000 subscribers.
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