How do you say goodbye to a mentor, a leader, and a manager that was just getting started? This was the position we found ourselves in on Friday, 4 pm, saying our heartfelt farewell to our manager. It felt too soon, too random, but his decision was final.

“We shall meet again; only mountains don’t meet,” he said, his words echoing with a quiet certainty.

We cut cake and speeches were made. We were giving him his flowers at this very deserving moment. The messages were quite interesting, and one of the managers that he worked closely with, reminded him to pass our apologies to his family.

“There are moments I am certain your family members suffered the wrath of the work pressure. You probably went home downcast with a long face. Tell them we are sorry.”

As much as this was said lightly, it was a heavy comment. How often do we consider the aftermath of a long day and the distorted selves our families receive at the end of a long day? I digress.

As more and more people raised their hands to ‘say something small’, the other recurrent message was that he brought many positive changes, including water. He gave the team water. I nudged a lady beside me who was nodding vigorously in agreement and I asked her what they were referring to. I had joined the company recently so I was not there when this apparent thirst was dire.

“Imagine we did not have a water dispenser. The company never used to provide us with drinking water. He went and presented this to the management and we now have a constant supply of drinking water in the office.” she whispered.

I joined in the clapping even though I had missed the deep sentiments that someone else had just finished sharing. To even think that such a necessity that nature gives freely was something people had to almost beg for.

“Like most have already said,” another gentleman was sharing, "I will also remember you for the great leader that you were and still are. You listened, always ready to assist and you have been not just our manager, but a mentor to us,” more clapping followed these words.

We prayed and prayed some more and passed pieces of cake around afterwards. There was a palatable mixture of feelings in the atmosphere. I was silently reflecting on the impact he had left in the hearts of many in that room. Nobody had mentioned his many trips across countries chasing big contracts and meeting the crème de la crème of the industry. There was no mention of the many businesses that he had opened up for the company, ensuring we all had a proper salary in our accounts. It is not that all these did not matter, because they did, in a very significant way, but it was clear that what matters most is how people perceive your human management skills.

Even on our deathbeds, most people will not remember the countless hours we spent awake chasing our dreams. (Well, unless that is the cause of death). Many will remember ‘small’ moments like that one time you cracked a joke and they laughed for the first time in months. Or that morning you shared your breakfast with them, not knowing they hadn’t eaten in days because they were starving or depressed. They will remember how you smiled, laughed so loudly you almost made the whole team get fired, and how you loved your children and that sibling you always spoke about with a twinkle in your eyes. They will remember, not all your skills, but your heart.

As Maya Angelou clearly stated; “People will forever remember how you made them feel. They will easily forget what you said and what you did.”

If he had failed in people management skills, but won in business, none of the great business achievements would have mattered. Knowing how to live with people is a great achievement which few have mastered. We can move mountains and do the impossible, but overlooking that ostensibly small matter, could bring the entire mountain down.

It is not about being ‘nice’, no, far from it. Nice will get you taken advantage of, it will not take you to boardroom and high-table meetings. Our manager was far from nice. He was and is human. Being able to recognize opportunities where a human touch is gravely needed is one of the highest levels of leadership one can attain. When an intern who joined the organization needs guidance not criticism, he was there to offer it. When they had gone out of their way to do a task for hours that was outside their realm, he was there to buy lunch to re-energize them and he kept it between them.

When most would have rather turned a blind eye, he was there to speak up and offer direction. In tense discussions that would cause rift among departments, he was the magnet that drew people towards him and then towards each other and this created harmony rather than division. When humor was least expected but very much needed, he was the one to crack the joke that would ease a tense situation. Common laughter catapulted by a shared joke can make a king forgive all your sins, and he knew where and when to make those sins overlooked. He had (has)a way with people.

He was never afraid to take a hit for the team, unless of course, the team had gotten themselves into a mess they could have very well avoided. There, he would let us learn the lesson, albeit very difficult sometimes. In most cases, where it was called for, he took bullets for us, sometimes unknown to us.

As we bid him farewell and ‘all the best’ in his next chapter, it was clear that he was the Moses of our time, for he alone will ever know how hard he had to hit that management rock to get us water.

We continue to celebrate him as a leader and a mentor and we hope that the small sparks of leadership that he lit inside each of us will continue to glow as we ignite the same fire in those we interact with at work and even in our communities. The way we live can transform lives, through our actions not even necessarily our word, for words can be fleeting.

I am glad to have yet again passed through the hands of a true leader. I hope to emulate the great men and women that have bravely stood the test of time and recognized the humanity in each one of us.