the art of leading

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Picture yourself five years ago. What are your dreams? What are your goals? What are your plans? Are you pretty sure that you’re gonna’ reach them? How confident are you? Do you have your next five years planned out to perfection?

Now come back to the present. Did you actually reach them? To what extent? Of course, everything didn’t go exactly as planned. Maybe you achieved all your goals. Or maybe you simply stalled. Or maybe you have been hit by the storms of everyday life, as is normal.

That happens too. We think we’re Supermen or Superwomen and suddenly something happens to change our course. In fact, that’s what happened to me. I had this tremendous career planned out. I would graduate from architecture school in a couple more years. I would work in some small firm for a couple more. Then I would start out my own. I would be the next big thing in architecture. My designs would be found in the pages of the glossiest design magazines.

And then the first big storm of my life hit me (well I had already been in three hurricanes in Puerto Rico, but you know what I mean). I found out I really didn’t like what I was doing. I couldn’t stand what I was doing, in fact. Months passed. Why didn’t I leave, you ask? Because I couldn’t stand being wrong. But I was. But I held on to it hoping that it might change. At first I rejected what I was feeling. I knew this wasn’t for me.

So after some mental hurricane-force winds (category 5, mind you), I calmed down and decided what my next step would be. I took that step by transferring to Business Administration. Then I took the next step by going to Law School. Of course life is just beginning for me, so I suspect I have many to take still.

Life won’t pan out as you thought it would. Sometimes it’ll be worse than you expected. Other times it’ll be much better than you expected. But the point is this: everyone who wants to be a true leader; one who changes and shapes the vision of an organization, a church, a family, a country; needs to harness the power of flexibility. A true leader needs to be supple when facing changes. Life is the best teacher for that. It has been for me in my short existence, and this is what it has told me:

“Slow down…think…act.”

Categories : Action, Change, Failure, General Leadership, Goals, Personal Development //