Every time I walk through a Costco warehouse and pass by the 3M Scotch Tape 3-pack, I’m reminded of an incident.

An experience. A leadership lesson.

A moment from my time at the Woodinville #747 Costco Photo Center. A moment involving a roll of tape. A moment involving my “second in command,” Tiffanie.

A moment that began with four simple words:

“Boss, permission to speak freely.”

But before we get there, we need to rewind.

A Long, Long Time Ago…

In a Costco warehouse not so far away… August 2019. I became the newest supervisor of the Woodinville #747 Costco Photo Center.

Promotion? Absolutely.

Victory lap? Not exactly.

Within a month, I was informed that by the end of September, only one member of the original Photo Center team would remain.

Everyone else had accepted positions elsewhere in the warehouse or moved on to new opportunities.

“So…” I asked, trying to process what I had just heard. “I’m going to be hiring and training an entirely new Photo Center team while simultaneously learning the Photo Center myself…”

“…one month before the busiest season of the year begins?”

My leadership team looked at me. Maybe they blinked once. Maybe twice.

They answered, “Yes, Carlos.”

“That is correct, ” they continued.

I remember walking out of that office thinking: “Well… this should be interesting.” There was no time to panic. There was no time to complain. There was only time to build.

Like Star-Lord assembling the Guardians of the Galaxy. Except this was Costco, not Knowhere, and my version — Star-Los — felt less like saving the galaxy and more like being handed an impossible mission.

Except unlike Peter Quill, I wasn’t handed a team of lovable misfits. I had to find them. I had to build them. I had to convince them that together, we could survive the busiest season of the year.

Thankfully, I wasn’t completely alone.

Catrina and Josh J. Jones — JJJ, as we called him — became my trainers through September. They helped me learn the Photo Center operation, understand the workflow, and prepare for the holiday rush.

Then Josh left to pursue other Costco opportunities. Suddenly, it was Catrina and me. And it was time to assemble the team.

Building the Team

The team I selected? Management judged it, a ragtag crew.

Tiffanie.

Jami.

Shinta.

On paper? Maybe not the obvious choices to compliment the existing, transitioning team members. But then again, neither were the Guardians of the Galaxy.

A group that included Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Groot the Living Tree, and Gamora didn’t exactly look like the galaxy’s best hope on paper either.

I’ll let your imagination decide who brought which Guardian energy to the team.

The passionate one. The unpredictable one. The quietly dependable one. The one who had a little bit of everything.

But that’s the thing about leadership. It isn’t always about finding the obvious choices. It’s about seeing what others overlook. It’s about recognizing potential before it becomes obvious.

It’s about understanding that the right collection of people, with the right support and trust, can become something far greater than anyone initially imagined.

I earmarked Tiffanie for professional development because she wanted to eventually become a supervisor or manager. She had ambition. She wanted growth.

She just needed someone willing to invest in her.

Jami didn’t want to be on the Front End anymore and was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. That willingness mattered.

Motivation matters.

Shinta wanted to move away from Membership Services, away from the entrance doors, exit responsibilities, and safety walks.

She was looking for something different. A fresh opportunity.

And here’s something important: All three were women. All three were mothers.

And yes, I selected them intentionally. Not because of gender. Because of what I recognized.

They already understood sacrifice, they lived sacrifice, and they knew what it meant to put someone or a group first.

Their families depended on them. They understood commitment, resilience, patience, and adapting when circumstances changed.

Those qualities cannot always be taught because sometimes they are forged through life. And I believed those qualities would translate.

Not everyone agreed; I caught “strays”. I dished out my share of criticism. People questioned my decisions.

Management questioned whether they could handle the workload. Or whether they could get up to speed before the holiday season.

Or questioned whether I had made the right choices. Or questioned whether I could lead this crew into battle.

And honestly? They didn’t know me. I loved to be underestimated, and dismissed. I’m Gen X so I was forged in the crucible of self-confidence.

Because leadership isn’t about proving everyone else wrong. Leadership is about proving your people right.

Collaborative Efforts Yield Better Results

One of the many lessons I’ve tried to instill with every crew I’ve worked with is simple:

Collaborative efforts yield better results.

Now, collaboration does not mean every task or every decision has to be done by committee.

Not every choice requires a meeting. Not every solution requires twelve opinions. Sometimes leadership means making a decision and moving forward. Sometimes leadership means asking for input.

The key is knowing the difference.

Everyone brings something to the table. Everyone has something to contribute.

The best teams are not built because one person has all the answers. They are built because everyone feels empowered to contribute their answer.

Before the moment that would eventually become the “Tale of the Tape,” I had been coaching Tiffanie on one of the hardest lessons for any emerging leader to learn:

Knowing when to:

“Do first and ask for forgiveness later.”

Versus when to:

“Ask first for permission.”

Because leadership exists somewhere between initiative and accountability. If you wait for permission every time, you become a bottleneck.

If you act without judgment, you create chaos. The challenge is learning the difference.

I also shared one of my favorite leadership philosophies:

Workers manage the work.
Managers manage the workers.
Leaders simply lead.

The title doesn’t make someone a leader. The position doesn’t make someone a leader. The name badge doesn’t make someone a leader.

Actions do.

I told Tiffanie: “You’re my second in command. When I’m not here, you’re the leader.”

Not because of a title. Because of trust.

The Tale of the Tape

Then came one otherwise innocent afternoon.

I was standing at the Photo Center computer, completely absorbed in whatever spreadsheet, office email, or operational rabbit hole had captured my attention.

Tiffanie walked up beside me. She didn’t immediately say anything. She stood there, looking toward the monitor and occasionally toward the warehouse.

Then:

“Boss, permission to speak freely.”

I didn’t look up. I smirked. “You may.”

She placed a mangled roll of Uline packaging tape on the counter. “This is crap.”

And then came the rant. “My daughter and I had a morning of sorts, then a Member blew me up in the aisle, and now this. Uline tape is the worst. I can’t work like this, Boss!”

After listening, I realized something. The tape was the problem. But it wasn’t the whole problem.

I agreed, Yes, the tape was trash. It broke randomly. It stuck to itself. It fought you every step of the way.

When you are packaging someone’s memories, the last thing you need is packaging tape becoming your enemy.

But this wasn’t really about tape. It was the final inconvenience after a series of frustrations. Sometimes leadership means understanding the problem someone is describing… and recognizing the frustration they are actually carrying.

Then she said: “I’m gonna buy the 3M Scotch tape with the Photo Center supply card.”

That’s when I finally looked over. I side-eyed her. “Are you asking me… or telling me?”

She immediately broke eye contact. No argument or debate. No explanation. She simply walked over to the drawer where the supply card was kept. As she passed me, I handed her the register key needed to complete the transaction.

No words exchanged. Because the conversation had already happened. She rang it up. Put everything away. Sealed the YesVideo boxes. Returned my keys.

And went back to work.

The new tape worked. The boxes were packaged efficiently. And the entire time?

She was smiling.

The Lesson

That was the leadership moment. Not because we bought better tape. Not because a supply issue was solved. Because Tiffanie recognized a problem.

She considered a solution. She understood the boundaries.

And she acted. She didn’t need me to make the decision for her. She needed someone to believe she could make the decision herself.

And that, my friends, is why I revel in these moments: Empowering people.

Believing in them before they believe in themselves. Everyone has something to contribute. Everyone can bring something to the table.

That belief for me is unshakeable. It’s unflappable. Because I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

Give someone ownership, and they often surprise themselves. Give someone trust, and they learn responsibility. Give someone the opportunity to lead, and sometimes they discover they were already a leader all along.

So now, every time I pass by that 3M Scotch Tape 3-pack at a Costco warehouse, my mind drifts back. Not to the frustration.

Not to the terrible Uline tape. Not even to the replacement tape that saved the day.

I think about Tiffanie standing beside me. “Boss, permission to speak freely.”

And I think about the moment she realized: She already had permission.

That’s the tale. That’s the lesson. That’s the Tale of the Tape.