How much faith do you have yourself? How is that affecting your leadership?
Your level of trust in yourself will manifest in the way you lead, the way you show up, and the way you live.
This is a story of faith and leadership.
In 2021 I was invited to present in a virtual leadership summit called “There’s always hope.” As a result, I prepared a talk on emotional resilience titled “lead from your soul” that featured my transformation story along with other material covering the importance of emotional well-being.
I sat straight and took a deep breath as the host introduced my talk. I shared the PowerPoint presentation on the zoom screen, and somehow I managed to use a feature where I had pinned my video view on top of the PowerPoint slides. It looked amazing. Everyone was fascinated. Then the host asked me to re-share the screen, and that is when the fun happened.
For some reason, I could not re-share the PowerPoint presentation to the zoom screen. Suddenly I felt butterflies in my stomach; my blood pressure dropped, and my mind went into a frenzy. I felt a wave of apprehension sweep over my body. Gasping for breath, I searched frantically to see if I could find another copy of the PowerPoint presentation on my drive. When I finally managed to upload the document, it turned out to be the original outline of the presentation instead of the finished version. I panicked; my mind was racing. And I thought to myself, “just when I thought things get worse, the unthinkable happened.” My ego is me with feelings of guilt and shame.
I paused, took a deep breath, and made a conscious decision to have faith, faith in a higher power, myself, and the process. I introduced myself, explained the issue, and put on an improv performance. I let my innate wisdom guide me through this challenge. It was one of the best improv performances I had ever done. I received much acclaim, and the takeaways from the audience were inspirational. My faith transformed this challenging experience into a catalyst for growth. I emerged with stronger faith and greater leadership. Faith elevates you above fear. It is the ‘X factor, the special ‘active ingredient.’ It is the yeast that raises your dough; the baking powder that makes for a fluffy cake; the fluoride in your toothpaste.
Faith is your greatest ally in a world of uncertainty. It is a prerequisite for transformational leadership. Faith is a philosophy. You must have faith in yourself, faith in your team, and faith in a higher power. Sometimes we believe in fear, self-doubt, inevitable failure, superstition, and even despair. Other times we believe, “there is always hope.” The secret is to know where you are putting your faith.
When you are afraid, you believe the story your ego is telling you. When you act out of fear and are not aware that you are afraid, your ego has taken charge. It is playing tricks on you. With faith, possibilities are endless because the sky is the limit.
Pause and reevaluate. With every relationship, new task, and team project, reflect and inquire: where am I placing my faith? What is my why? What do I really want? And how committed am I?
Reach out and connect
To work with me in developing a leadership roadmap for you and/or your team, book a free strategy call at www.drayaakkari.com. Elevating your leadership is not an easy feat, which is where I come in. I help you uncover your why and create a leadership roadmap specific to your needs. I provide you with accountability, check-ins, evidenced-based coaching, and professional support from a certified leadership coach credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, an organizational leadership specialist, and an emotional resilience trainer.
Come with me; let’s lead together!
I empower busy and ambitious executives, business owners, and professionals to go from existing to living so they can gain clarity on their purpose, unlock their potential, and elevate their leadership. I am a doctor and a certified leadership coach credentialed by the International Coaching Federation; I have earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership and am a certified emotional resilience mentor and trainer. I have had the pleasure of establishing coaching relationships with leaders from 20 different organizations.
