THOSE WHO DO

I’ve heard it said that the only difference between those who make an impact and those who don’t is simply that those who do believe that they can.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that we can all make an impact.

Alongside my husband, I have been leading a team of professionals in my industry for over eight years. I understand the importance I hold within our business and cherish my leadership role, but this wasn’t always the case.

Rewind 40 years and the team I now co-lead was founded by someone else, go back just over 8 years and that someone else was still leading. As part of our business purchase arrangement, our founder would continue to work under us for a period of years as we transitioned into ownership. The result of this extended handoff being a table of all the same faces now figuring out how to look in a new direction for guidance.

Never underestimate the difficulty of stepping into someone else’s shoes.

Especially when that someone else is still standing right there.

The challenge for me was arguably different than that for my husband - he had been a full-time forerunner within the team for years, I had been a semi-involved background player. But ownership brought the need for joint leadership and it was time to stand side-by-side with my man. 

I had cared about that group of people for years, had sought to support as I could from the shadows from the first moments my husband had joined. But now the weight of creating and guiding culture would fall to my shoulders, a team was waiting for me to step in and support with love.

And with confidence.

And it was confidence that I lacked.

I can’t remember the contents of the meeting that prompted my next declaration, but one Wednesday afternoon after months of serving and guiding, I exited our routine team lunch and turned to my husband in frustration.

No one in there sees me as a leader.

No, Kiesha, he replied without a second of pause or wavering, YOU are the only one who doesn’t see you as a leader.

I hated his statement.

And I knew he was right. 

God bless the people who care enough about us to call us on our s***.

The truth is I was looking into another’s eyes to find confirmation for what I already saw in mine. I knew I wanted to make an impact, I had simply let go of the belief that I was meant to and that I could.

We all lead, we all serve, we all have eyes looking to us for guidance and direction. Whether in little ways or from a big stage, we all long to make a difference in our world. 

It’s time we stop waiting for others to empower the greatness we already carry. A leader lies within and we are all meant to make an impact. 

Let us not let go of the belief that we can.

Let me be the one to remind you that YOU can.