The place you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
As we make our choices in life, or not!, as it may be the case, it comes down to those decisions that shape our future, where we live, what we do and how many hours we work in one given week.
While reflecting on some of the choices I have made I wonder where would I be in life if I would have made different decisions, chosen a different path, if I have decided to stay in JP Morgan and pursue a career in Investment Banking, or never leave England. My time at JP Morgan was one of the highlights of my career, I loved my job, I’ve got to travel, explore opportunities, taste the corporate life, I met people with different skills, values and opinions that influenced me and impacted me, some of them even inspired me. I’ve got to know myself better and find out skills I didn’t even know I had, and for all of that and more I will always be thankful. The reasons for leaving were more circumstantial and I wonder how would my life and my family’s life be different today should have I chosen to stay.
Stepping out of the benefits, salary package, contacts, comfort that my job represented was for me an Indiana Jones moment, stepping into the unknown believing that the the solid Rock-bridge will appear under my feet.
As a result I have discovered what “career” really means to me and the “vocation” I want to develop, what the team, organization needs to look like, what are the values that need to be held and the behavours that need to be demonstrated. Respect, safety, integration of ideas & personalities, a strong focus on promoting internal talent and develop the team to its full capability, motivating, growing and grooming everyone to create great products or services that add value and remain competitive in an ever changing market.
How do we demonstrate respect internally in our organisations, in our interactions with colleagues? How are all these values demonstrated, what are the behaviours shown, what is the language used, and the actions that support a culture of respect and integration, how we make others feel and how we set others for success or failure?
Maybe is here were you have to have a leap of faith and “Be the change you want to see in your organisation” Mahatma Gandhi, be the catalyst that ignites a culture of inclusiveness, influence others to represent a culture to be proud of. The way in which we make decisions and implement changes has a direct impact on those around us, a 3D approach need to be implemented because our decisions and actions have an impact on others.
Only when we step out in faith into the unknown, to cross some great abyss, does that solid Rock-bridge beneath our feet appear. In retrospect I am happy I took a leap of faith leaving my job and England, this was not the first or last bridge I will have to believe exist. With each bridge I become a more confident, more defined person.
Which leap of faith have you taken or would like to take?
Olga
Coaching 2 Excel 