Creating Space Before We Need It: A Leadership Reflection on Small, Preventative Work

Some leadership lessons arrive loudly — during moments of crisis, conflict, or pressure. Others arrive quietly, disguised as ordinary moments that don’t seem like lessons at all.

This reflection began that way for me.

At first, I was thinking about habits and space—how difficult it can be to carve out time for what matters most, rather than reacting to whatever feels most urgent. But the more I sat with this experience, the more it expanded into something deeper: stewardship, foresight, and the kind of leadership that works quietly long before problems show up.

That reflection was sparked by something very ordinary in our family.

A Small Device with a Big Purpose

My daughter recently got a palate expander installed.

If you’re unfamiliar, a palate expander is a small orthodontic device attached to the roof of the mouth. It looks a bit like a medieval torture device, but apparently, it’s minimally invasive. Twice a day, for a short period of time, I turn a tiny key that will make little, imperceptible adjustments to her upper jaw. It’s not dramatic. It’s not solving a painful problem. In fact, for a long while, nothing will really seem different at all.

And that’s the point.

A palate expander is preventative. It creates space. It does minimal work early so that much bigger problems never have a chance to develop later on.

As I sat in the orthodontist’s office listening to this explanation, one thing struck me: if we chose not to do this, there would likely be no immediate consequences. Probably not for years. Probably not for decades. Probably not until well after she’s out of our house (and off our insurance).

The absence of immediate pain can trick us into thinking everything is fine.

That realization turned this from a parenting moment into a leadership reflection.

The Kind of Leadership That Works Quietly

So much of the most important work in leadership and personal development looks exactly like this. It’s quiet. It’s incremental. And it’s easy to overlook because there’s no urgent crisis demanding our attention. But when you look a little closer, this small orthodontic device reveals several leadership truths worth paying attention to.

1. Stewardship

My daughter didn’t ask for a palate expander. She doesn’t fully understand its long-term value. And yet part of my role as a parent is to make decisions now that her future self will be grateful for.

Leadership often works the same way. Stewardship means caring for people, systems, and culture beyond the present moment — even when the payoff isn’t apparent or immediately appreciated.

2. Foresight

A palate expander isn’t about fixing today’s problem; it’s about preventing tomorrow’s. Healthy leadership requires the same kind of foresight — noticing early signals, investing before issues escalate, and addressing things while change is still gentle.

3. Invisible Leadership

There’s no applause for the problems that never happen. No recognition for crises avoided. And yet some of the most meaningful leadership work happens behind the scenes — building trust, shaping norms, and creating stability that others may never consciously notice.

4. Trusting Slow Formation

The expander doesn’t force anything into place. It simply creates room for healthy growth to occur naturally over time. Leadership works best the same way. Growth isn’t rushed or coerced — it unfolds when the conditions are right.

5. Resisting the Urge to Control Everything

A palate expander requires trust — in expertise, in process, and in time. Leadership doesn’t mean controlling every outcome. Often, it means creating space and allowing others to grow into it.

Transformation rarely announces itself. It works slowly, faithfully, and often invisibly.

Small Adjustments, Big Outcomes

Years ago, Brian said something to me that has stuck with me ever since: if you can help someone’s life trajectory shift by just one degree, over time that small change makes a profound difference.

That’s what this feels like.

Small adjustments made early.
Minimal effort applied consistently.
Trust that the future is being shaped, even when the present feels unchanged.

So as we wrap this year, I want to leave you with a simple reflection:

Where in your leadership — or in your life — might there be an opportunity to make a small, preventative adjustment right now?
Something that doesn’t feel urgent.
Something that might even feel unnecessary.
But something that, over time, could make a meaningful difference.

Maybe it’s a conversation you’ve been putting off.
Maybe it’s a habit you want to build.
Maybe it’s creating space to notice what’s already unfolding.

Just because there’s no pain today doesn’t mean there’s no shaping happening.