Summary:
In business and in life, what is leadership about? Atul Tandon shares some profound insights from a lifetime of leadership.
Thuy
In addition to innovation and in addition to the micro financing that you provide to so many entrepreneurs around the world, one of the key focus areas of Opportunity International is leadership development. What are some of the most important lessons that you pass along to these entrepreneurs to help them succeed?
Atul Tandon
I'll give you the two most important lessons in my mind. One, believe in yourself. Two, believe in those around you, because at the end of the day, that's all that you have. You've got yourself, however well prepared you are, to do the task that that you have taken up for yourself. And then you're part of believing in yourself is part of what you started out with, is to equip yourself, you know, to celebrate yourself, to be at peace with yourself, to know who you are and to be at peace with yourself, to believe in your own capabilities and likewise those around you to believe in them. To believe in all of you together and in each of them separately believe in their capabilities, believing in their gifts, have the sense of being able to discern what their gifts are and how they contribute to the shared tasks that we have. And in that process and I would if I could if I was a younger guy today or even today, the third thing I'd add goes back to The Mentorship Network, is to find good mentors. Know that, you know, you do not have to reinvent the wheel because if you do, all that you'll do is to invent one wheel and you'll be stuck with that one. Now, if you would rely on others, we invented a few wheels and there are times you might just not stop at a bus, but you might actually get a jet plane. Some of us who are lucky might get a rocket. But what happens when you get all three when you are believing in yourself, believe in others around you, and frankly, when you have great mentors.
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