Great leadership is rarely built through one dramatic speech or a single big decision. More often, it grows through small, consistent actions that shape how people feel, communicate and perform every day.
In People, Purpose & Perseverance: Love Selflessly, Lead Boldly, Dr. Joel D. Smith turns that idea into a practical leadership framework built around three verbs: Notice, Nourish and Navigate. His message is simple: if leaders want stronger teams, they must first become more intentional about how they see, support and guide the people around them.
Notice: See the Person Behind the Position
The first habit is Notice.
Dr. Smith encourages leaders to pay attention to more than output, deadlines and performance metrics. Noticing means recognizing effort, reading the room, asking meaningful questions and becoming aware of the small signals that reveal when someone is thriving or struggling.
The book offers simple habits for doing this well. A leader might begin a meeting with a quick human check-in, acknowledge work that often goes unseen or ask where someone felt most useful during the week. These actions may appear small, but they help people feel recognized rather than managed from a distance.
That kind of attention matters because people are more likely to contribute openly when they believe their leader actually sees them.
Nourish: Fuel Strengths and Growth
Noticing is only the beginning. The next step is Nourish.
For Dr. Smith, nourishing people means creating conditions where they can grow. That can involve specific praise, meaningful opportunities, mentoring, encouragement or simply removing unnecessary friction from someone’s path.
One of the book’s practical suggestions is the “two-minute praise” habit: when a leader sees valuable effort, they should recognize it quickly and connect it to a larger purpose. Smith also recommends replacing ordinary status updates with what he calls a “status uplift,” asking what someone is proud of and what obstacle the leader can remove.
This makes recognition more than a compliment. It becomes a way to reinforce strengths, build confidence and help people understand how their contribution matters.
Navigate: Walk Beside People Through Difficulty
The third habit may be the most important when pressure rises.
Navigate means helping people move through obstacles instead of simply demanding that they overcome them alone. Dr. Smith encourages leaders to clarify what improvement looks like; ask what support is needed, create practical 30-, 60- or 90-day paths and invite people to raise risks without fear.
The key distinction is presence.
A leader who navigates does not remove every challenge. Instead, that leader helps create clarity, removes unnecessary barriers and stays engaged when the path becomes difficult.
Small Habits, Stronger Teams
What makes Notice, Nourish and Navigate so useful is their simplicity. They do not require a new department, expensive software or a complicated leadership program. They require consistency.
Dr. Smith reinforces that idea throughout the book with tools such as short check-ins, listening sessions, coaching conversations and a 15-minute Meeting Operating System designed around these same behaviors.
People, Purpose & Perseverance: Love Selflessly, Lead Boldly shows that transforming a team does not always begin with changing people. Sometimes, it begins with changing how leaders interact with them.
Notice more. Nourish intentionally. Navigate together.
Those three habits can turn everyday leadership into something people can genuinely feel.
Get your copy of People, Purpose & Perseverance: Love Selflessly, Lead Boldly by Dr. Joel D. Smith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HB3J3NHG
