In 1988, I arrived at basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Our command sergeant major—a tough, larger-than-life woman in what was then an overwhelmingly male environment—made an immediate impression on me. She was known to put her hand inside a toilet to make sure it had actually been cleaned. That tells you about everything you need to know.

One day, she stood in front of the formation and called out, “Are there any farmers out there? Any farmers?”

She wasn’t looking for agricultural advice. She wanted soldiers for her area beautification program.

I wasn’t selected, but for some strange reason, I always wanted to be part of it. In the Army back then, “area beautification” could mean painting rocks, picking up cigarette butts, pulling weeds or even cutting grass with scissors. Some of it seemed ridiculous, but there was a lesson behind it: take pride in where you live and work. Make your small piece of the world cleaner, more organized and better than you found it.

Apparently, that lesson stayed with me.

Recently, a woman I have known for seven years was promoted to lead the organization where I exercise. She was a friend of my wife, Sherri, and she also helped train my daughter. I wanted to recognize her promotion, but I didn’t want to simply give her a gift card or something that would soon be forgotten. I wanted to do something she could see every morning when she arrived at work.

So I finally joined the area beautification program—only about 38 years late.

I made a plan and spent about an hour and a half cleaning and improving the area in front of the building. I even created a small version of the organization’s symbol, hoping to add a little esprit de corps.

While I worked, several people stopped to tell me how nice it looked and how much they appreciated what I was doing. I didn’t explain the reason. I was simply cleaning up an area and making it a little more welcoming.

Leadership lessons often appear in the smallest actions. Leading by example does not always require a title, recognition or financial reward. Sometimes leadership is simply noticing something that could be better—and taking responsibility for making it better.

More importantly, the gesture made her feel appreciated. It brought people together, strengthened our sense of community and made the place we share a little more special.

And I felt pretty good about it too.

I guess that command sergeant major knew what she was doing after all.