What Survival Taught Me About Leadership
Some of the most important lessons I've learned didn't come from a boardroom. They came from one of the hardest seasons of my life.
Imagine you just published your first book of poetry. You’ve been promoting your book, planning to attend book festivals and events and even started planning your Book Signing Event. Then you receive a phone call on what would have been your Maternal Grandmother’s 97th birthday, and the caller says, “Your biopsy reveals cancer cells.”
My world stopped and spun uncontrollably at the same time. I was stupefied. That big “C” reared its ugly head and put a dagger through my soul. With all of my dreams, visions, and goals that I wanted to accomplish, this would be the biggest feat of them all. So many thoughts. So many questions.
Then the day finally came when I got to ring the bell. It felt surreal and I was truly grateful. Ultimately, this was a speed bump that I was going to get over. And I have. I am now cancer free! I am a SURVIVOR! Breasts are gone, replaced by implants, hair started growing back, and I am fully embracing this new woman I have become.
In the end, I know that I am strong. I am resilient. I am divine. I am healthy. And if you are going through this or something similar, please know that you are stronger than you think! I know it doesn’t feel like it at times, but above everything, keep fighting.
So what did this experience teach me?
Well for one, my definition of leadership changed. Before that season, I thought leadership meant always having the answers, always pushing forward, and always being productive. But survival taught me something different. It taught me that leadership is also knowing when to rest. It's asking for help when you need it. It's showing up with courage, even when you don't have certainty.
It taught me that resilience isn't pretending everything is fine. Resilience is choosing to move forward, one step at a time, even when the path is difficult. That experience also changed my perspective. I stopped measuring success only by accomplishments and started measuring it by impact. Specifically:
The conversations I have.
The people I encourage.
The stories I help bring to life.
The legacy I'm building.
And perhaps the greatest lesson was this experience is that purpose becomes much clearer when you're reminded that time is precious. We don't have forever to keep postponing the dream, delaying the book, waiting to launch the business, or convincing ourselves that we're 'not ready' to become the ‘leaders’ that we are meant to be.
There comes a moment when you realize that your voice, your gifts, and your story are meant to be shared. Not someday, but not. So go forth and lead with compassion, empathy, courage, and strength. You got this!
