Great story and message.  As leaders we all need to assume the position of Chief Belief Officer!  Early in my consulting career I had an engagement manager who took a stand for me.  I was not like the other consultants in that I was hired with a very different skill set so in the early days I was perceived as being less capable than the others.  Instead Gershon took a stand for who I could be and what I could provide.  Since before that I had always been considered a top performer I had not realized just how much I had taken other's belief in me for granted.  Here I was in a brand new field.so I was feeling very unsure and vulnerable.  His belief in me gave me courage and confidence and I very quickly started excelling in my new role despite how much there was yet for me to learn.  It was a major turning point for me in my career.  If it wasn't for him I wonder if I would have stuck it out.