Life Changing Moments
We all have life-changing moments. Some shake us to our core. Some gently nudge us in a new direction. Some shout at us, demanding attention. Others whisper quietly, waiting to be heard.
Mine? It hit me like a brick — years of knowing a truth I had refused to admit.
I was 27, stepping into my first job after seven years of schooling. I was eager and ready to learn—not just about the work, but about great leadership. Leading had always come naturally to me, and now, I was ready to learn from the pros.
But my excitement came with a myopic view. I had been taught that leadership was earned through years of hard work, that titles and hierarchy dictated influence. You followed your boss because they had "earned" that position. I also held a naïve belief. Up until then, I had only worked in roles that didn’t require a degree, and I assumed that was why I had never seen strong leadership. Surely, in the "big leagues," leadership would be different—stronger, more intentional, more inspiring.
Then, one day, reality hit. Hard.
Sitting at my desk, in the same seat I had occupied for months, my boss stopped by for his standard weekly hello—our only real interaction. And at that moment, it became clear. Leadership isn't about titles, education, or years of experiece.
Great leadership comes down to some key things:
Building Trust
Knowing Your People
Following Through
Communicating Clearly
Delegating Effectively
Resolving Conflict
That realization changed everything. It shaped the leadership philosophy I developed and applied for over a decade—one that allowed me to build high-performing teams, deliver real results, and, most importantly, love what I do.
