Thank You, Now Optics & Stanton Optical. Small Steps. Big Impact.

Spending time with the Now Optics and Stanton Optical team in Houston left a mark on me. In the best possible way.

I want to start with a sincere thank you to everyone who showed up with openness, curiosity, and care during our time together. And I want to offer a special thank-you to Keesha, Anthony, and Aerielle, who hosted me at their retail location in Humble, Texas and patiently guided me through my first real glasses-buying experience.

That visit wasn’t a side note.
It was the point.

As a customer, I wasn’t thinking about strategy, KPIs, or slides. I was thinking very simply:
Do I trust this person? Do they see me? Will they guide me well?

What stood out wasn’t one big moment — it was the accumulation of small, thoughtful actions:

Those small steps added up to trust. And trust, as we talked about in Houston, is the finish line.

That idea, Small Steps. Big Impact., wasn’t just words on a screen . It was something I experienced firsthand in your store.

Leadership that shows up when it matters

Throughout the sessions, what struck me most was how deeply the stories resonated, not just the Olympic stories or the ocean rowing, but the quieter ones too. The stories about kids. About trying, failing, getting back up. About learning to love the work of becoming.

Those stories matter because leadership doesn’t only show up in big moments.
It shows up:

The ICARE values we explored together — Integrity, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, and Empowerment — aren’t abstract. They’re lived, daily choices. And they show up most clearly in the places where your work is hardest: on the retail floor, in clinical settings, and in moments of pressure.

What impressed me about the Now Optics and Stanton Optical leadership team is that these values aren’t treated like posters on a wall. They’re treated like operating principles — especially during change.

And for those of you who would like to revisit the slides? I have linked them here for you to look at, revisit and share with whomever you would like.

Bringing more meaning to the work

One of the questions we returned to again and again was:
How do we work hard without becoming hard?

I saw real answers to that question in Houston.

I saw leaders who understand that effort changes identity. That falling off isn’t the problem. Staying down is. That when people feel seen, supported, and trusted, they rise to the challenge in front of them.

I also saw a genuine commitment to helping people (both customers and team members) feel more confident, more capable, and more cared for.

That’s meaningful work.

And when meaning and effort align, people don’t just perform better, they feel better about who they’re becoming in the process.

A final word of thanks

To the leadership team who set the tone, to the brand and store managers who carry the weight of execution, and to the frontline teams who deliver the experience every day. Thank you.

Thank you for the care you bring to your customers.
Thank you for the standards you hold.
Thank you for the small steps you take that create big impact.

I won’t forget our time together, especially that first glasses-buying experience in Humble. It was a powerful reminder that leadership, at its best, is personal.

Keep leveling up.
Keep choosing the small things that matter.
And keep bringing meaning to the work, for your customers, your teams, and yourselves.

Adam

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Adam Kreek and his team are on a mission to positively impact organizational cultures and leaders who make things happen.

Kreek is an Executive Business Coach who lives in Victoria, BC, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist, a storied adventurer and a father.

He authored the bestselling business book, The Responsibility Ethic: 12 Strategies Exceptional People Use to Do the Work and Make Success Happen. 

Discover our thoughts on Values here.

Want to increase your leadership achievement? Learn more about Kreek’s coaching here.

Want to book a keynote that leaves a lasting impact? Learn more about Kreek’s live event service here.