During my sophomore year at Palm Beach State College, I met Ronald Reagan. Our meeting was less than 30 seconds, but it changed my life. I believe that encounter made me a better leader.

I arrived early for the speech and sat just a few feet from where Reagan spoke. Though I don’t recall much of what he said, I do remember stepping up to meet him when he was done.

After introducing myself, he asked what I was studying and thanked me for being there. What I most remember, now 40 years later, is how Reagan looked me in the eye and acted as if he woke up that morning just to see me. It was an extraordinary display of kindness and charisma.

He not only made my day with that encounter but also changed my life. He inspired me to treat individuals with significance and make them feel valued, just as he had done for me. And not in an artificial, manipulative way, but to genuinely care about and be interested in others.

There is a cliché that holds a lot of truth: “People won’t remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel.” It’s not just about making them feel good, but about providing them with energy.

Despite not being a sports fanatic, I have thoroughly enjoyed the unusual opportunity to attend many signature sporting events. I have attended the World Series, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Olympics, Daytona 500, World Cup, Kentucky Derby, The Masters golf tournament and a college football championship. They were all thrilling, and the energy was off the charts.

It’s difficult for a leader to generate the type of energy these sports events do, but we do need to provide our teams with the energy that they need to excel. Some leaders may not like this role or responsibility, but that doesn’t change anything. Whether or not we like this duty, leaders either provide energy to a team or de-energize them. As I wrote in my book Education of a CEO, below are some ways I have found that help provide energy to a team.

• Keep reminding the team of your “Why.” In his outstanding book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek explains the importance of an organization knowing its Why. Our Why at Correct Craft is “Making Life Better,” and it drives everything we do; hardly a day goes by without me or someone else on our team mentioning it. Having a clear Why describing an organization’s higher purpose is very energizing.

• Have a clear vision — Clarity is important; when a team knows the organization’s values and where the leader is taking them, it provides a lot of energy. This is particularly true when the leader expresses confidence in the team’s ability to get to the destination.

• Be an optimist — No one wants to follow a pessimist. In his book Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman writes about the power of optimism. Optimism provides energy, and an optimistic leader can turbocharge an organization. Optimism is not an unrealistic view of circumstances or alternatives — it is being free of the fear many people feel when looking into the unknown. Optimism is looking at a situation and knowing that while the circumstances might be challenging, doing the right things — often the hard things — will lead to a successful ending.

• Don’t wear feelings on your sleeve — When you are irritated, frustrated, just having a bad day, or in any other way emotionally angsty, keep it to yourself. Most leaders discount the impact their emotions have on their team, but the impact is multiples more than they realize. It can be difficult for a leader to contain their emotions. Like most people, leaders want others to understand how they feel, but when a leader transfers negative emotions to their team, the cost is high.

• Be a high-affirmation leader — People get tremendous energy from knowing their leader thinks they are doing well and appreciates them. Some leaders believe that affirmation will cause team members to think too highly of themselves and slack off. That is crazy. Other leaders have trouble giving anyone credit, no matter how well-deserved. That is sad. My experience is that employees appreciate well-earned affirmation; it makes them more loyal and provides them with a boatload of energy.

When leaders provide energy for their teams, it’s a win-win situation. The employees enjoy their jobs more, are energized to achieve their goals, are much less likely to leave, and the organization gets better results. Who doesn’t want all of that? Every leader should.

Sometimes, it helps to view a leader’s job of providing energy through the lens of inspiration. Recently, I met with a young college president who seems to be doing a great job and wants to do even better. I recommended that when working with his team, he sees his chief responsibility as inspiring them. If a leader has the right people on board and is clear about the mission, values, and strategic plan, their main job becomes energy provider.

Interestingly, in the years following my encounter with Reagan, I was made to feel the same way in meetings with Presidents Carter, Clinton and Obama. Meeting each of them was inspirational, and regardless of your politics, everyone would agree that these are folks who made it to the pinnacle of achievement. They did it by treating people with respect and kindness.

We can do exactly what Ronald Reagan did that spring day when he and I met at Palm Beach State College. He took a minute to focus all his attention on the person he was with (myself) and demonstrated genuine interest. It changed my life. We can all do that for someone.

Bill Yeargin is CEO of Correct Craft and author of six books, including the best seller, Education of a CEO.