I was perhaps eight or nine years old when my grandfather said, “She’s going places.” I was sitting at our table in Haiti, reading a borrowed book by the light of a kerosene lamp. Electricity was a luxury we didn’t have often in those days. In his experience, children weren’t so taken by books that they’d sit in the dark to read them.
His words might have flattered anyone, but for me they did far more. My grandfather was a man I admired deeply. He built a life that lifted our whole family, and he was warm. He smiled and laughed more than any other adult I knew. Before I was ever told what a leader was, I had witnessed it in him.
I didn’t always lead the way he did. My first year managing a team was, frankly, frustrating. I expected my staff to bring an internal drive that, I eventually learned, doesn’t exist independently of the culture around it. The outcomes I wanted had to be nurtured and cultivated, starting with me being clearer about what I was asking for. Over time, together, we learned what worked. Truly, not everything is taught in a textbook.
That lesson still shapes how I work today:
- I listen first. Every organization has its own culture, history and way of speaking. I want to understand yours before I suggest anything.
- I name things clearly. Clear requests and clear expectations are a form of respect. They give people something solid to stand on.
- I see people whole. Every day, in each place I step foot, someone is in the middle of a very personal story. The people we call employees, learners or supervisors are always more than those roles, and good work makes room for that.
- I build with you, not for you. I gather feedback from everyone involved, and I treat limitations as barriers we can push against together to move toward progress.
How have early experiences impacted how you lead and show up today?