What has shaped you?
Do you ever stop to think about how you became you?
Our lived experiences and the experiences of all those who’ve come before us, have shaped who and what we have become. That’s not to say we are destined by our lived experiences but are shaped through them.
Take a moment to think about how you have been shaped by the family you were born into, the communities you’ve lived in, the institutions that have governed you and the societal norms you’ve lived by.
I was blessed to have been born into a loving family with parents who supported me as I navigated the challenges and opportunities we all face growing up. I’m so grateful to have learnt from my father’s work ethic which led me to do work I love, with people I like, in the way I want.
I attribute my sense of service to a cause greater than myself, to my mother’s lived experiences of having to steal food rations to feed the Jewish families that hid in the basement of her home in France during World War II. Her life-long devotion to caring for abandoned children with severe disabilities, taught me that love is at the essence of humanity.
Despite my privileged upbringing, I lived in the tension and a sense of helplessness to relieve the pain and suffering black South Africans had to endure through the evil and inhumane institutionalisation of apartheid. Living in the distance from their pain and suffering but proximity to the inhumanity, has indelibly shaped me.
As I reflect on my early childhood, one experience above all, shaped who and what I have become. As a 10yr old, I persuaded the Sergeant of our local suburban police station to take me into the cells because, in my innocence, I thought it was a way I could improve the conditions or possibly secure the release of some of the imprisoned children. I recall the first cell I was taken to, was no bigger than 10m² and to my horror, found about 50 black children detained. Their crime – stealing food from the local stores or nearby homes in the ‘white only’ suburbs so they could feed themselves because their parents could not afford to. In my innocence, I pleaded in vain for their release.
I remember from that day, I would commit to do all I could to give a voice to those who felt voice-less, hope to those who felt hope-less and power to those who felt power-less. It is this lived experience that inspires me to do what I do; to enable leaders to access more of their greatness and live and lead with greater fulfilment and impact.
I so encourage you to take some time and reflect on what has shaped you and then courageously share your story with your team members and colleagues. Through sharing, we get to be understood, when understood we make it easier for all to work together and flourish.
May you honour all that has and is shaping your greatness.