WTF Wednesday.

Because sometimes leadership lessons come with balsamic dressing.

A few years back, I went on a sales call with a home health exec.

We were having lunch with one of the driest, most awkward physicians on the account list — the kind who blinks once every five minutes and never cracks a smile, and grunts as a means of communication.

Mid-lunch, I somehow managed to dump an entire container of salad dressing into my shoe. Not on my shoe. In it.

The sales rep saw it happen, and we both instantly got the kind of church giggles you can’t stop — you know, the silent shaking, tears streaming, can’t-breathe kind. The kind where the fact you know you aren't supposed to be laughing makes it even funnier.

The doctor just stared at us. Never laughed. Never moved. Never acknowledged that I had spilled an entire container of salad dressing in my shoe. Which of course - made it even funnier.

All we could do was try to maintain some level of composure, while I wiped balsamic dressing off the top and bottom of my bare foot - and the inside of my high heeled shoe.

I can now say that I 10/10 do not recommend having oily salad dressing in your shoe? Maybe ranch would have been better, I don't know.

We still laugh about it to this day when we catch up, despite it being years ago when we worked together. The fact we still take time to catch up all these years later is representative of the respect and trust we had for one another, including moments like this one.

The Lesson:

Humor is human. And humans connect through imperfection and vulnerability.

That ridiculous moment did more for our working relationship than any “corporate team building” exercise ever could.

Laughter diffused tension, reminded us we were real people — and honestly, probably saved that painfully awkward lunch from being a complete flop. At least we had a bonding moment in the middle of the most boring sales call, ever.

We spend so much time trying to look polished as leaders that we forget:

Sometimes, the most professional thing you can do is just… be human.

If you ever need proof that vulnerability builds trust — try walking a mile in a salad dressing filled shoe.

Remember: if laughter brings your team closer than any icebreaker ever has, you’re doing something right.

And if your next leadership lesson shows up in your shoe… just roll with it.

Don't forget to subscribe, and see you next WTF Wednesday!

Steph