Learning Curve

Being a leader is more about evolution than constancy.

Some things might stick with you- but you are always learning and I shared some time back that I had been taking lessons from John Maxwell on "Leadership."

Some lessons I picked up this morning are:

1. A leader needs to learn follower-ship. Unless you learn to follow others well, you will not know how to lead others.
2. Develop self-discipline.
3. Practice patience- you cross the finish line with people.​

All these have been eye-openers but what got me thinking most was the first point. Who do I follow? Why do I follow them, and what does following someone mean to me?

Times have advanced as opposed to back in the days because now we can interact with world leaders via social media. If you want to look up someone, you don't need police records as yet- just go to Google.

If you want to call someone or have a conference meeting, get on Skype and start talking and all is well, but there's more that goes beyond what we share online.

Have you heard of Digital FootPrint?

This is the data that's left behind by users on digital services, and it could be active or passive data. Like say you can get my first blog entry when you search for it online, or even go through my previous entries...because like my cousin says, "the internet never forgets!"

So, I started going through my archives and also online trends and realized that I've been places I tell you. If you hit up my name you'll get the various sites that I'm on including my smashwords,amazon, and blogs: and this did freak me out just a little bit! So I figured that like Nuruddin says "words are like stones, don;t throw them" there's always the need to be careful with my words, thoughts and mode of sharing them.

This had me change my sharing settings earlier this year- and I'm glad some people got to subscribe for updates on their own- thanks a bunch!

But there's the flip-side of all this- I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of people- and it's taught me so much about how to treat others yet it seems like it's never enough. The best place to learn how to treat others is by being treated by another person.

You can get an employer you work with, work for or work under.

An employer you work with is like your partner in crime. They are always there to help to rebuke but all in all they help you improve.

An employer you work for is aware of your duties- but to get to the humane side of him you have to go through someone else.

The worst of all, I'd say, in my humble experience has to be the employer you work under. Have you ever worked for someone and felt like a true slave? If there was food- then you'd eat the remains of what his/her dog has relished? Such an employer barks orders, insults and most of all finds it best if you do not speak but simply do what he says...it's a pathetic feeling.

So, whatever you engage in find the strength and time to think...would you rather work with people towards achieving your vision, or have them work for you, or have them work under you?​