Authentic Leadership

‘When I grow up, I want to be a Mercedes’. I once saw this car sticker on a Maruti 800.

I recall bursting out into delighted laughter. Oh, how I loved the aspiration of that little car!

How many times have I told people who inspired me deeply, only half-jokingly, “When I grow up, I want to be YOU.”

When my young coachees see my career path, some of them tell me the same thing.

But my immediate response is, “Why do you want to be me? Be the best you that you can be.”

This is something that I feel deeply about.

It took me a while to get there; I reflected deeply on what matters to me and realised that I really want to help people reach potential.

The last few years, I have been helping senior executives reach potential and am mentoring young students for admissions and careers.

This has kept me aligned to what truly matters to me and has been incredibly fulfilling and transformative.

Not just for the people I partner with but for my own self.

There are amazing, inspiring role models around us. We can and must learn from them.

But can we grow to be more evolved versions of our older selves? Can we bring our authentic selves to the fore and own it?

Can I have an Aye?