The PNAMDC Leadership Institute's goal is to set the pace for a Journey to HEALTH: Health, Empowerment, Advancement, Leadership, Transformation and Healing. However, a goal only exist if you are working to make it real. And REAL… it became on the 5th of September, 2015.

 

Learning from a hindsight so we can transform with a foresight is the FORMULA 1 to being a great leader. Leadership is a dynamic process - an evolution towards transformation of yourself and of others. John Wooden said, "the most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example." To be a GREAT LEADER - you have to be a GREATYOU! You can never unlock the best in others if you have not unlocked the BEST in you! Great leadership requires a full, in - depth knowledge of who you are. A serious introspection needs to be done by anyone who is in the position of influence or by anyone who aspires to be in one.

 

WHO Am I????

Does anyone really know who they really are? Majority of us would say no! This is the painful reality… we don’t know wo we really are!!!

 

Self- discovery is a path for the brave. Each of us has a blind spot where things are hidden from us but is known to others. This area requires feedback from others so we can see the things others see in us. And there is also another area were things are hidden from others but is known solely to us.  This area requires self-disclosure. For us to discover who we really are, we need to have the “SERENITY to accept the things we cannot change, COURAGE to change the things we can and the WISDOM to know the difference." We need to have a Shoshin mind. A mind wrapped with an attitude of openness, acceptance and eagerness, and a Tabularaza mind- set - a mind devoid of preconceptions. 

 

Anyone who can bravely answer this insanely simple question with much GUSTO and confidence can boldly embark on a leadership journey with strength and foresight to empower and transform oneself and others. Jack Welch once said, “before you are a leader, success is all about growing oneself. When you become a leader, it is all about growing others. As a leader you need to COMMISSION YOURSELF TO A MISSION WITH A VISION. A vision that will revolutionize the people around you in their ways and thinking. A change that will catapult them to advance with determination, courage and resilience towards a transformative existence - personally and professionally, so they can make an indelible impact in their inner circle and the society at large. 

 

Learning from a hindsight ... discovering who you are, will enable one to transform with a foresight! Leadership, after all, is all about making others BETTER as a result of your presence and making sure the impact lasts in your absence. "Great leaders don't set out to be a leader... They set out to make a difference. It is never about the role, it is always about the goal,” says Lisa Haisha. 

 

Is leadership a birthright? No, it is not! Anyone with the courage to embark on a journey to self- discovery to unearth potentials for greatness, when seen with a keen eye of an eagle, can undeniably rise to the call of leadership.

 

Anyone who, like Nelson Mandela... “Yet prison life did not rob him of either his charm or his civility. The radiance of his smile is undiminished. He possesses a natural authority and charisma, evident to all who encounter him. Despite his patrician nature, he retains the common touch. His manners are punctilious ... He remains courteous and attentive to individuals, whatever their status or age, often stopping to talk with genuine interest to children or youths. He greets workers and tycoons with the same politeness [Ubuntu].As president, he has managed not only to sustain his popularity among the black population he fought to liberate from white rule but to gain the respect and admiration of the white community which once reviled him. (Meredith 1997: 1-2)

 

Or like Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama - who made very loud statements about independence and inequality through non-violence - resonating intolerance of tyranny thru silence and peace. Or like Mother Theresa, who stripped herself of all affluence to touch the lives of the untouchables. 

 

No one is born to lead! But everyone is endowed with the potential … if everyone has the courage to make a difference. After all, LEADERSHIP is all about making a DIFFERENCE! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this age of transformation... 

 

The CALL: We all can be leaders! We all can make a difference! 

 

The CHALLENGE: To Brave the Journey to Self- Discovery! 

 

Are you up for it???