Fifty-Foot Paint Job

Fifty-Foot Paint Job

Imagine a freshly painted boat, gleaming in the sun—flawless from a distance. But up close? The cheap paint job shows every imperfection. People can be the same way—polished at a glance, but flawed when you really get close.

A mentor once told me that some of his best lessons came from leaders who never even knew he was watching. He’d quietly observe those who seemed successful in their roles, studying what made them different. He learned a lot that way.

One day, I questioned him about one of these leaders. I had noticed something—an obvious flaw. “Why do you admire that girl?” I asked. He just grinned and said, “Fifty-foot paint job.”

That phrase stuck with me. He wasn’t blind to the flaws—he just understood that everyone has them. He knew which leaders to get close to and which ones to admire from a distance. He wasn’t cynical, just wise.

Not every leader is meant to be in your inner circle, but that doesn’t mean they have nothing to teach you. Even if you don’t fully respect someone, you can still learn from their discipline, their confidence, or their ability to navigate tough situations. You don’t have to be up close to take notes.

Sometimes, the best way to learn is to stand back, observe, and take what’s useful. A cheap paint job might not hold up under scrutiny, but from a distance, it can still teach you a thing or two about what works.

What about you? Have you ever learned something valuable from someone you wouldn’t want to trade places with? Let’s hear it.