Successful leaders
know what made them who they are
By: Bernie
Swain
(Harvard Business Review)
Can you identify the
one person, event, or influence that made you who you are as a leader and a
person? Over the past 10 years, I’ve put that question to one hundred of
the eminent people I represented as chairman of the Washington Speakers Bureau:
Madeleine Albright, Tom Brokaw, Colin Powell, Terry Bradshaw, Condoleezza Rice,
and many others. I was curious to find out what they felt were the turning
points in their lives — the defining moments and influences from which they
draw motivation and inspiration.
Identifying the
foundational moments of our success allows us to maximize our potential,
uncover our own passions, and become better leaders. In my case, the defining
moment in my life was the realization that I was never going to enjoy working
for other people — a recognition that paradoxically came to me right at the
moment when I was on the verge of being offered my dream job (which I
eventually turned down to become an entrepreneur). The realization helped
fuel me even during periods of uncertainty by reinforcing my will to succeed
and comforting me that I was on the right trajectory. Everyone has such an
event and can usually identify it after some reflection. Among my interviewees,
turning points fell into three broad categories:
People. Forty-five
of those interviewees identified a person as the single most enduring influence
on their lives. For Madeleine Albright, the former U.S. secretary of state, it
was her father, a serious man with far-ranging intellect whose career as a
Czechoslovak diplomat was short-circuited twice: by the German occupation in
World War II and by the Communist takeover after the war. After the family
moved to the U.S., he became a professor living in cramped faculty housing —
quite a step down from an ambassador’s residence — but worked at his job
cheerfully and diligently. She says that being secretary of state was
challenging, but she never had any trouble staying focused: “I just had to
picture my father in his flooded basement study, working away with his feet up
on bricks.”
For Tom Brokaw, who had been student body president and a three-sport athlete in high school, but who then dropped out of college twice, it was a strict and caring political science professor. For legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, it was his mother, who had only an eighth-grade education. Her homespun advice to always “get on the right bus…filled with good people” became the moral cornerstone of “Coach K’s” life and career.
For Tom Brokaw, who had been student body president and a three-sport athlete in high school, but who then dropped out of college twice, it was a strict and caring political science professor. For legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, it was his mother, who had only an eighth-grade education. Her homespun advice to always “get on the right bus…filled with good people” became the moral cornerstone of “Coach K’s” life and career.
Events. Forty of
my one hundred interviewees identified an event — a failure, an injury, a
death, or the like — as the turning point in their lives.
What defined former secretary of labor Robert Reich, at first, was his height. “I am 4’11” and have always been short,” said Reich. Starting in kindergarten, he was teased and bullied, and he learned to find someone bigger who could act as a protector. One of those who watched out for him was an older kid named Michael Schwerner. Years later, in 1964, Mickey Schwerner and two other young civil rights workers were brutally murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan — a crime that shocked the country and horrified Reich, who had just graduated from high school. .......Click to continue reading
What defined former secretary of labor Robert Reich, at first, was his height. “I am 4’11” and have always been short,” said Reich. Starting in kindergarten, he was teased and bullied, and he learned to find someone bigger who could act as a protector. One of those who watched out for him was an older kid named Michael Schwerner. Years later, in 1964, Mickey Schwerner and two other young civil rights workers were brutally murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan — a crime that shocked the country and horrified Reich, who had just graduated from high school. .......Click to continue reading
KAKAMEGA COUNTY: Khalwale accuse police for shooting at his supporters
Kakamega Senator Boni
Khalwale has accused police officers of shooting at him and his supporters
after he attended an event presided over by Deputy President William Ruto.
Khalwale alleged that security
officers used tear gas and shot at his supporters, who were dancing after the
Butsotso cultural event at Ematiha in Kakamega ended.
Police in the county
have dismissed the claims, saying the senator and his supporters had blocked
the road to Kakamega and the officers intervened to clear the road. "I am
shocked that police officers tried to disperse my supporters by firing at them
and throwing tear gas, yet my supporters are not criminals. Dancing on the road is
part of our culture," said Khalwale.
He demanded an explanation from
police bosses in the region and Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet over
the matter. He said differing with Ruto at the event did not warrant police to
shoot at his supporters. But Western region police commander Moses Ombati
dismissed Khalwale, saying he was at the event and no police officer shot at
the senator's supporters. Navakholo OCPD Paul Kuria also denied the
allegations.