The phones were ringing. Guests were waiting. Servers needed help. Vendors had questions.

And I was standing in the middle of the restaurant wondering how in the world I was supposed to manage all of it.

The Building Was Spinning

I was in my early twenties and had just stepped into my first management role at Red Lobster. I wanted to prove I could do the job, but the pace of the restaurant felt relentless. Every direction I looked there was something that needed my attention.

It felt like the entire building was spinning.

That’s when Karin Yawn Tiffin stepped in.

Karin was one of my first mentors. She had the calm confidence that only comes from experience. She had seen the chaos before, and she knew exactly what I was feeling.

She pulled me aside one day and gave me a piece of advice that has stayed with me for decades.

Start With One Thing

She said, “Start with one thing.”

Karin explained that once you complete one thing, momentum starts to build. One accomplishment leads to another. And before long, the overwhelming mountain of work begins to shrink.

Then she said something I’ve never forgotten.

At the time, the advice sounded almost too simple.

But it worked.

Instead of staring at the entire list of problems, I started focusing on the next task in front of me. One thing at a time. One completed task after another.

Slowly the stress began to ease. The chaos started to feel manageable.

Progress Replaces Panic

Years later, after moving into property management and eventually stepping into executive leadership, I realized Karin had taught me something much bigger than how to get through a busy shift.

She taught me how to lead through overwhelm.

When things feel chaotic, start with one thing.

Create movement. Build momentum. Let progress replace panic.

It’s a lesson I’ve carried through every stage of my career.

Today, when I see new leaders stepping into management for the first time, I recognize that same feeling I had back then. The pressure. The sense that everything needs attention at once.

That’s when I pass along Karin’s advice.

Start with one thing.

Finish it.

Then move to the next.

Momentum will take care of the rest.

A Lesson That Outlived Her

Karin passed away from brain cancer seven years ago, but her words continue to guide how I work and how I lead.

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the pioneers who broke barriers and paved the way before us. But it’s also a time to recognize the mentors whose wisdom quietly shapes the leaders we become.

Karin was one of those mentors for me.

Her advice started in a restaurant, but it became a leadership principle that followed me throughout my career.

And now it’s a lesson I share with the leaders I mentor today.

Sometimes the most powerful leadership advice isn’t complicated.

Sometimes it’s simply this.

Start with one thing.