Two weeks ago, I had a discussion with my mentor about leaning in. That conversation was quite intriguing and had me reflecting weeks after about what the phrase meant to me.
The conclusion I came to after much thought is that, we have many opportunities to show our authentic selves not only at work but also in our personal lives. Usually, we tend to focus only on the opportunities at work and under value the networks that we have built.
I belong to a WhatsApp group with over 200 members. The group was formed originally to reconnect ties that were established during our teenage years over 20 years ago. Late last year, we took stock of the fact that we had a rich and diverse human capital on the platform comprising lawyers, medical doctors, engineers and many other management professionals. There was so much expertise to learn from and so we decided to take hold of the opportunity to allow everyone to share their knowledge, promote the culture of learning as well as enrich each other’s lives.
Hence, the virtual “Night School” series was born. So far, lessons on networking, digital skills, family law, mental health, career planning, breast cancer, nutritional health and other interesting topics have been shared at no cost on a fortnightly basis via Zoom meetings.
About a week ago, it got to my turn to lead the night school. I spent about an hour speaking to these accomplished ladies on the topic “Marketing your personal brand”. It was satisfying to share my story.
For me, this was my lean in moment. Through the act of making myself vulnerable and not letting opportunities pass me by, I allow my voice to be heard.
Over to you reading. What is your lean in moment? Share your story and let’s get someone inspired.
