Leadership + Service
I’ve been in tech and/or startups for over a decade. I started my own business when my daughter, my second child, was tiny and since then have had a couple of startups, that were amazing and painful and scary and awesome all at once. Then, I helped other people with theirs.
When I left my last tech company, I felt what could almost be described as a feeling of relief and even, immense gratitude. I now had the opportunity to decide not only what I wanted to be next, but more-over, who I wanted to be.
What a privilege to be able to stop and reassess your life. Really check in with who you are, your values, your passions and make a conscious decision to move forward from a place of complete authenticity and love.
My kids are teenagers and I’m often left with my jaw on the floor due to some of the conversations and messages they receive at high school.
What do you want to be?
What do they want to be ???
I’m a fan of the very squiggly line and definitely not the linear curve and have long held the belief that some of the most interesting people I know didn’t know what they wanted to be at 16, nor do they necessarily know what they want to be at 40.
BUT, here’s the big thing… they 100% know WHO they want to be.
They want to be compassionate, they want to be supportive, they want to be kind and loyal and funny, they want to be able to come home at the end of their day, sit on the couch, feel valued, feel accomplished, feel that they did a good day’s work, feel that they somehow, in some way made a spek or a splash of difference in someone’s life, in the world, somehow.
This shift from what you want to be to who you want to be is a spectacular change in mindset that allows us as whole human beings to consciously decide how we want to live in this world. When we extend this into our work we allow ourselves to bring authenticity to our days and peace to our hearts.
Leadership, for me, is about service. It’s a holistic expression of how I make my way in this world. It’s about who I want to be, not what I am or are perceived to be. It’s authentic, and real.
By allowing yourself to be real and also vulnerable, you’re giving others the opportunity to also be themselves. To be whole and human and imperfect.
And, that my friend is what makes this world go round. Start being who you really are. The world deserves you.