Find support/sponsors: A solid support system and generosity of their spirits will not only help propel your growth, but also sustain the momentum and reach further. I enrolled myself, self-funded and debited my vacation time to dedicate uninterrupted focus on my growth. I found the Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program for High Potential Leaders aligned best with my goals. Through intentional and deliberate learning experiences, we fundamentally change the way we see ourselves, others and business challenges. I asked myself “What new skills and ideas would fuel me to create the future I want and deserve?” I believe that we cannot truly develop as leaders without reflection and continuous and deep learning. Own it: What commitment will you make to create this vision? To do this, I will intentionally and relentlessly chase growth and broaden my perspectives and network.' Step 3. Create your vision: Who do you want to become in pursuit of this purpose?įor me, 'I want to continue to live a life of purpose and enable & inspire other people to wake up to their greatness. M y purpose is to serve the most vulnerable amongst us, including the patient population I have the privilege to serve in Healthcare and the underserved humans in workplaces and in the society. I firmly believe we can find our WAY when we unapologetically live our WHY. Based on my experience, I am giving you the gift of my learnings - steps that you can take to seize your power and lift yourself up in pursuit of your goals: Step 1.Give voice to your values: Connect with your purpose. I channeled resilience and gargantuan grit. I realized the need for change in my attitude! I had to stop wallowing in “how they (workplaces/supervisors) are treating me” and instead start recognizing my self-worth and walking in my own power. My mom who had no academic education and become a widow before she turned 40, had always said, 'struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose'.

My tribe lifted me up and pushed me out of this rut. Only recently did I accept that it was I who let these managers define my self-worth. Inspite of this, I hadn’t fed the same energy to myself. Through this, I am not only aligning to my humanitarian values, but also unleashing human potential to further game-changing innovation and business growth. Simultaneously, I kept speaking truth to power and leading ways to dismantle the very systems that perpetuate these injustices. I leaned in, to #lift them up and support them in their pursuit of joy, dignity and #equity. Over the years, I have noticed many of my friends and colleagues of color experience systemic racism, discrimination and inequities. I watched in disbelief as several white women and men around me were being sponsored for advanced training and opportunities, but the same experiences weren't offered to me, the only woman of color in my function, inspite of of my stellar ratings and performance year over year.īut this wasn't an isolated experience. Then there were some managers on my journey that robbed my self confidence and self belief from a place of privilege and bias. Let me start with a flashback for context, I have had the privilege to get to know and work for many leaders & managers and learn/unlearn leadership skills by observing & experiencing them. The nature of this article is slightly different. To say that the course was exhilarating, transformative and grew me tremendously, would be an understatement! More on that in a future post. Today I celebrate the completion of my executive leadership program for high-potential leaders with the prestigious Harvard Business School.

Seize the day carpe diem