The Dishwasher Was Empty.

But She Was Still Standing There.

I was proud of myself.

The dishwasher was empty.

Dishes were clean. Counters wiped down.

Just like in the commercials.

Then my wife walked in.

She looked around.

Said nothing.

Just stood there, hands on hips, eyebrows raised.

You know the look.

I smiled like a hero and said,

“All done!”

She didn’t smile back.

She just tilted her chin toward the counter:

“What about that?”

And yeah…

The counter did look like someone made a tuna sandwich in the dark.

But in my head?

Not my problem.

I had a task: dishwasher.

Mission accomplished.

Then she hit me with this:

“You’re not taking a math test.

It’s not about what was assigned.

It’s about seeing the whole picture.”

Boom.

Right there, holding a dish towel in one hand and a coffee cup in the other,

I saw it all.

My team.

My coworkers.

The familiar phrases:

“That’s not my responsibility.”

“I did my part.”

“No one told me…”

And it hit me

That’s the difference between an employee and a leader.

Employees wait for assignments.

Leaders notice what’s needed.

Sure, the dishwasher was empty.

But my brain?

It was full.

Because I finally understood:

It doesn’t matter how well you executed your task

if you missed the bigger picture.

Since that day at home and at work

I stopped asking “What was I told to do?”

And started asking:

“What’s really needed right now?”

Ever had one of those moments where you were so focused on the task,

you forgot to look up and see the full picture?