Two Simits and a Smile

Last week, I experienced a small but meaningful moment, one that didn’t happen during a client meeting, a workshop, or a strategy session, but at a simple simit stand on an ordinary morning. I walked up to the simit seller and asked “How are you, my brother? Could I get two simits?”. He paused, looked up, and smiled with a kind of surprise that immediately caught my attention. Then he said, “You’re the first person who has ever asked me that. It made me really happy”. After getting my simit, I thanked him and continued on my way with a smile. A few steps later, I looked back and saw the simit seller smiling at me as well.

That sentence stayed with me the entire day. It was such a small interaction, almost nothing in the flow of daily life, yet it carried a weight I couldn’t ignore. In our work with organizations, we spend so much time talking about leadership, culture, engagement, communication, and alignment. We design systems, build structures, and implement tools to help companies run more smoothly. But at the core of all of these elements lies something incredibly simple: people want to be seen. They want to feel valued, they want to be acknowledged not just for what they do, but for who they are.

A simit seller, a barista, a security guard, a new employee, a senior executive the titles may change, but the human need beneath them does not. As leaders, consultants, or teammates, we often chase sophisticated solutions, forgetting that the foundation of any healthy culture begins with genuine human connection. A simple “How are you?” can shift the tone of an entire interaction. It can make someone feel important. It can open the door to trust. It can remind someone that they matter.

Inside companies, we see this dynamic play out constantly. Employees who feel invisible disengage. Teams that don’t acknowledge each other lose energy. Leaders who forget the human element struggle to inspire. Yet when someone feels noticed, truly noticed, their motivation rises, their attitude shifts, and their willingness to contribute expands. Engagement programs and communication trainings matter, but they can never replace authentic human appreciation.

That morning, I bought two simits, but I walked away with a far more valuable reminder: real leadership begins in small moments. Culture is shaped not only by strategy and structure, but by tone, presence, and everyday kindness. Organizations grow when people inside them feel respected. Teams align when people listen to one another. Strategy becomes execution when trust is strong. And trust begins in the simplest gestures.

Sometimes, the most meaningful leadership lessons don’t happen in meeting rooms. They come from a simit stand on a quiet morning, with a man who just needed someone to ask, “How are you?”. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to shift our perspective on what truly builds strong, human centered organizations.