My Sister's Keeper

In honor of women’s month — I pen down a piece that celebrates how great women on my path have inspired, supported, encouraged me, and opened doors. Because, it takes a village.

Honing your skills to continuously improve yourself is critical, putting in the hard work is important to achieve anything worthwhile such as setting up that business, completing that course, making a successful investment, and starting or progressing in your career. However, skills and hardwork alone do not help you move forward.

You need people who are willing to mentor you and use their social capital to introduce you to new opportunities too. This contribution, often difficult to measure, is what unlocks people into growth.

Too often, women have more of the first two factors, and less of the last two factors, and get stuck in hard work but no significant progress.

To advance in any area of life women need men and women who will support them to advance. In this brief article, I will call them keepers.

One of my first keepers, in my earlier years, was my English teacher. If memory serves me well, she was the only female teacher I had throughout my secondary school. Come to think about it today, that is wild. She noticed I was a good student, but that I was shy and reserved. She would make it a point to have me contribute and applaud me publicly for my submission. To top it off, she pushed me out of my comfort when she proposed that I recite a poem at a school festival.

My other keepers have been the women I met in the workplace, and offered the opportunity to work with them. PS. I shared no social ties with them. My first formal boss — who has since been a mentor and friend, taught me to continuously raise the bar of what can be achieved and never to burn bridges. Two amazing co-founders, offered me the unique opportunity to join their organisation and gave me room to adapt my role to my aspirations introducing me to business development work. And when the time came to move on, to my brief entrepreneurial sprint, who retained me as a consultant and recommended me to their networks.

On my entrepreneurial sprint, I met keepers - incredibly smart business owners who trusted me to support their businesses. I also met keepers who mentored me as an entrepreneur, and also as a strategist.

The women, whom in the board rooms, invited me to seat closer and speak louder so my voice could be heard. The one who took a moment to give me feedback on how to exert my voice in public speaking. The ones who frequently go out of their way to make relevant introductions to ensure the work I do is successful. It takes a village!

The older much more accomplished leaders who spoke to me, when I wanted to take a career break after the birth of my children, to encourage me that many women have walked that path, wanted to give up but kept on keeping on. My friend and keeper who made sure I got some professional coaching when I needed it most, and the professional who offered up her time.

Finally, the less celebrated keepers, my mothers and friends, who have guided me into motherhood, a balanced life, who have watched over my children when I was studying, working late or travelling. Our Nanny, this strong and kind woman, who gives me some peace of mind knowing my children are in good care as I press into work.

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Success of any form whether personal or organizational is never just the product of one individual’s brilliance or hardwork alone. It is the result of the collective, the repeated or one off contributions of many people.

I do not boast to be successful, however, on this journey of life, I have certainly been fortunate and for that I am grateful.

I look forward to keep extending as much or even more grace, to the women who cross my path.