Here and Now

In my very first job I had the good fortune of working for a manager who believed so much in getting up to speed.

A couple of days after I joined the organization, he took me through what he termed the bigger picture, the objectives for the year and then challenged me to revert within a week on my game plan to deliver the outcomes we seek.

He did not care, or so it seemed, that I was new to the job nor that I had little experience. To him, the best way to learn is to do.

Looking back I couldn't be more grateful to him for the discipline of planning and single minded commitment to execution that he instilled in me. Through this initial process my ability to take initiatives and to make my voice heard was reinforced and I am the utmost beneficiary of a process that was a little painful in the beginning.  

He knew the value of what he was trying to inculcate in me. At the time, I had no idea what the end game was but he did.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter once said that “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be"

Leadership is about creating the desired future through deliberate action in the present. It is about leading your people, who may have limited view of what the future holds and taking them on a journey that may not necessarily be comfortable but will yield the desired future they crave.

We have a responsibility as leaders to make those bold decisions that will shape the future and it all begins from the present – here and now!

As we continue on our individual journeys, let us strive to be the leaders we want to have.

What is the one thing you want to achieve this year as part of your leadership journey? Share your thoughts.

Ps: I took a short break to work on a number of projects including a website which is now live. On this site you would find most of the posts I shared over the last few months and a host of other resources.

Check it out via www.eaminkah.com and let me know your thoughts.