Small beginnings bring humility

It is already the second half of the year and if you are like yours truly, we are coming to realise that just maybe, our new year’s resolutions suddenly seem like they were too ambitious. During this month, I have the honour of joining my mentor and coaches, in building on the theme of leadership. I will focus this series on my own experience and share on the evolution of the leadership journey. As I sit in an airport terminal travelling from a series of meetings, it gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the leadership journey that we often find ourselves on.

In many African homes, our elders often used to say that we should not despise the days of small beginnings. I now know it is based on a scripture verse in Zachariah 4:10. It was and is a reminder not to become proud when one has attained a position of leadership for, we know that no leadership authority is attained, but given. 
And it is a privilege. When I am in doubt about this, I bring to remembrance my own heroes and she-roes like Nelson Mandela, Barack and Michelle Obama, and of course, one of my greatest she-roes of all time, my mother.

Allow me to share the small beginnings of my own leadership journey. I am the first to tell you that a good leader is one who is “always in the making”. In my case, I started working outside the home at the tender age of 17. I was a shop attendant in a luxury men’s clothing and perfume shop on one of the main streets in Kampala, Uganda. 

Even though it was ‘just’ a holiday vacation job, I quickly volunteered my services to create the window display for the shop as a way of attracting customers. This quickly allowed me to sit with the owner to listen and understand what business growth strategy was going to be used to entice new walk-ins and motivate old customers. I learnt from him that as leaders, one needs to always be thinking ahead and not get comfortable with their current level of success.

When I eventually went to law school, I used to work as a receptionist at a prestigious law firm. My roles included helping the lawyers with the preparation of client files before meetings. This allowed me to welcome the clients to the firm as if they were old friends, which immediately helped reduce their anxiety. There was no job too small for me, from arriving earlier than needed to make sure we had tea and coffee set up, to volunteering to write client briefing meeting notes to help harness my legal writing skills, to carrying files for senior counsels into the court room. You see, I understood very early on that while I would start the work, God, Himself would intervene to finish it and give me the higher platforms for recognition that many crave.

In my own career journey, working my way up the leadership ladder both in the corporate and non-profit sectors, I have learnt from those sitting around the tables. I have had the privilege of working with, supporting, mentoring and shaping leaders at the highest levels of an organisation. They are often men and women with amazing stories of how they began their journey, not once expecting the turns and twists along the way. 

John C. Maxwell, a renowned leadership guru, is quoted as saying, ‘’No matter where you are in your leadership journey, never forget that what got you to where you are, won’t get you to the next level.” This has made me recognise that we always need to bring the best versions of ourselves for that season but not to be held back by it. As I continue to grow as a leader, I am finding that humble beginnings inspire and motivate those we led when we share them, especially if they have not been part of our teams. This inspires them to also continue on their own journeys. 

So, my challenge to you leaders, current and aspiring, is to reflect on your leadership journey so far and ask yourself how your small beginnings have influenced the leader you are or aspire to be.

The author, Ms Elizabeth Kangwagye, is a transformational leadership coach and trainer. [email protected]    Instagram: @elizabethkangwagye