My grandmother was the epitome of an all around woman. She worked outside of the home. Her house was always immaculate. She consistently had a meal ready in the form of leftover or something that she could effortlessly whip up without notice. After school my Mom would stop by for us to visit. Usually my sister and I were starving. Two minutes into the visit my grandmother would say, "Are yall hungry? I have some dinner in there if you want it". Music to my ears! She had prepared enough food to share with us generously. Always on ready! As a working Mom, my meal preparation is pale compared to my grandmother's skills. My idea of whipping up a last minute meal is ordering Doordash and receiving my food in less than 45 minutes. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for my grandmother's sacrifice. I believe she prepared her meals with us (her grands) in mind. Eagerly and anxiously anticipating the moment we would need to cash in.
While Doordash is my answer to being resourceful and responding to the "what's for dinner?" question, I strive to be ready for the unexpected in other areas. I suppose this started all because I hate the feeling of being unprepared. It causes anxiety, nervousness, weighs on my self-confidence.
As a leader, I've always wanted to be the well-rounded leader. Not knowing everything about everything, but at least having a set of lived experiences that I could share with my mentees and clients. Experiences that when shared, inspires and encourages people to want to grow and be better. First, the general preparation that I knew to do was associated with my degrees and certification. This is the baseline and serves as the foundation that gets you in the door. Secondly, the struggles that I went through along the way were part of the growth and development. It didn't feel good, but coming out on the other side of it, I gained lessons learned; increased faith and strength. Next, I gained insights through observing problems and challenges in the workspace. These were things that were not necessarily happening to me, but that I was able to witness and assess from the sidelines. Some of these insights were examples; some were non-examples. Finally, if I really am aiming to be the type of coach to my mentees and clients as my grandmother was to her grands, I was going to have to equip myself with resources. For this readiness, it means reading books, articles, website links and other activities or resources (including human connection). To me, staying ready meant I was prepared to listen and give relevant feedback. My clients expect research-based solutions. My mentees are encouraged by our experiences - the good and the bad.
There's a song that says, "stay ready so you won't have to get ready". I live by this notion. I stay ready to be a resource.
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