How One Marcus Aurelius Quote Changed My Leadership
One quote from Marcus Aurelius helped me navigate a difficult leadership conversation and reminded me that clear communication is one of a leader's greatest responsibilities.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Simple Power of Checking In
Over the past few weeks at our catering business, we started doing something very simple.
We began sending short check-in emails to customers.
Not sales emails.
Just two or three sentences.
“Hope your team has been doing well. Let us know if we can help with lunch sometime.”
That’s it.
What surprised me is how often people responded.
Some placed orders.
Some simply wrote back to say hello.
It was a reminder of something deeper: people appreciate being remembered.
The Power of Checking In (And Why It Works)
In business we often think success comes from big strategies.
New marketing campaigns.
Fancy promotions.
Complex systems.
But the power of checking in is different.
It’s simple.
It’s human.
And it works.
A small nudge reminds people you’re there.
More importantly, it reminds them they matter.
Staying Connected With People in a Busy World
We live in a world where everyone is busy.
Meetings, kids, work, distractions.
Because of that, staying connected with people takes more intention than it used to.
Relationships don’t usually end.
They just slowly drift.
A quick message can stop that drift.
“Hey, just checking in. How are you doing?”
That’s often all it takes.
If you’ve ever thought about what really defines those connections, it’s something I wrote about in
what makes a friend— and how small, consistent actions matter more than anything else.
Maintaining Relationships Doesn’t Take Much
We tend to overcomplicate relationships.
We think it requires long conversations or big moments.
But maintaining relationships is often about small consistency.
A short email.
A quick text.
A simple check-in.
Those small touches add up over time.
The Family Vacation Sign-Out Board
Our family jokes about this every time we go on vacation together.
At some point someone inevitably says:
“Wait… where did so-and-so go?”
And just like that, everyone pauses for a second.
Someone looks around. Someone else shrugs.
Then someone goes to find them.
It sounds like a joke.
But it’s really just another way of asking:
Is everyone okay?
The Importance of Checking In Is Wired Into Us
That instinct to check on each other is probably very old.
Humans didn’t evolve alone.
We evolved in groups.
If someone disappeared, it mattered.
So we paid attention.
We checked in.
We made sure everyone was still okay.
That instinct hasn’t gone away.
It just looks different now.
Texts.
Emails.
Quick calls.
All asking the same question:
Is everyone okay?
Simple Ways to Stay Connected
You don’t need a system.
You don’t need a plan.
You just need a moment of intention.
Think of one person you haven’t talked to in a while.
Send a message.
“Hey, was thinking about you. Hope you’re doing well.”
That’s it.
Simple ways to stay connected are usually the ones we overlook.
A Small Habit That Matters
In business, checking in builds trust.
In life, it builds connection.
In both, it reminds people they’re not forgotten.
And in a world that feels busy and sometimes disconnected, that small gesture is often enough.
Sometimes, that small gesture is enough.
“Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”
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