Every Employee Deserves a Joshua: What It Feels Like to Be Truly Seen at Work

For confidentiality and respect, I will refer to this person as “The Joshua” throughout this piece. Their name is not shared, but the impact is.

Have you seen The Forge?

I have.

Twice.

Do you remember Joshua?

The one

who sees you

before you speak.

The one

who feels the weight

you’re carrying

and doesn’t rush you through it.

The one who listens

with real compassion.

That Joshua.

I met "the Joshua"

at work.

And I didn’t realize

how much I was missing

a piece of the puzzle—

to be seen,

to be connected,

to be valued

—until the Joshua gave it to me.

There was a day

I walked into a meeting room

wearing my “I’m fine” face.

You know the one.

Polished.

Professional.

Practiced.

But my spirit?

Tired.

I talked.

I rambled.

I tried to stay composed.

And the Joshua looked at me and said—

“I really care about you.”

“You are really important. To me. To us.”

Pause.

Because when

was the last time

your boss said that?

Not

“good job."

Not

“keep it up.”

But—

I really care about you.

You are important. To me. To us.

Not your output.

Not your productivity.

You.

Then the Joshua said something

that rearranged

my insides:

“You are worth the investment.”

Say it again.

You.

Are.

Worth.

The.

Investment.

Not your résumé.

Not your performance.

You.

Your becoming.

Your healing.

Your future.

Let me clarify—

The Joshua didn’t say all of this

in one single moment.

The Joshua said it

over time.

Through conversations.

Through consistency.

Through presence.

That made it even more real.

Because someone

saw something in me.

I had forgotten

was there.

The Joshua always said—

“Staff is my number one priority.”

And meant it.

You could tell.

The Joshua didn’t manage people.

The Joshua held space.

The Joshua made room.

The Joshua created safety.

That’s rare.

The Joshua believed in me

before I believed in myself.

Steady.

Like a hand

on your back

when you’re scared to jump.

The Joshua didn’t clip my wings.

The Joshua said—

“Fly.”

With real wings.

Not borrowed confidence.

Not fake bravery.

Your own.

So I did.

Shaky.

Unsure.

Soft at first.

But The Joshua stood there

like wind behind my back.

And every time

The Joshua stood there—

I grew. I flew.

Real leaders don’t clip wings. They tell you to fly.

The Joshua taught me

that leadership

isn’t power.

It’s presence.

Some bosses

give you a paycheck.

The Joshua gave me

myself  back.

And when someone

looks at you and says—

“I really care about you.”

“You are important. To me. To us.”

“You are worth the investment.”

“Staff is my number one priority.”

You never forget it.

It stays with you.

In your next role.

In your next team.

In how you show up for people.

Because once someone builds your wings…

You start wanting to

build wings for others.

You emulate them.

You mirror their care.

You pass it forward.

That’s how real leadership multiplies.

Not through power.

Through people.

Find the boss who helps you breathe again—

not the one you spend time recovering from.

If you haven’t watched The Forge, make sure you have a Kleenex box nearby.

It might open something in you.

And if you don’t have a Joshua as your boss…be one.

Someone is waiting to be seen.

Be the one who sees them.