Imagine standing up in front of your CEO and senior leadership team, presenting a 10-minute keynote (with no notes or bullet points on slides) on an idea you have for your business; one that is well-thought-through; that you have been developing outside your day job for the last 8 months; an idea that will drive revenue, save costs or create a change in organisational behaviour – with the aim of getting a high five and ‘Go for it’ from your leaders?
Are you up for it?
Exciting?
Challenging?
Too right it is.
For the last 8 months, I have had the honour of working with some of the best and brightest at DXCTechnology and last week I witnessed the 15 finalists presenting to the CEO and leadership team.
Wow – I was truly blown away.
Their individual brilliance shone brightly as they stepped with confidence well and truly into their spotlight. It was fabulous to see their work recognised and thinking reinforced. And it is beyond exciting to know that some, if not all of these ideas, will get more airtime within the organisation.
At times I have no doubt that these ‘students’ didn’t like me much as I pushed and stretched, challenged and questioned for the simple reason that I saw so much more in each of them.
But they made it to the end of the program, each on their own accord, during a year of change, an incredible workload, a significant amount of personal compromise and most of all an inner hunger to be their best.
As I watched the entire cohort of this year deliver their ideas, it got me thinking about what is the difference between those that push through and get to the end versus those that give up.
You can have all of the determination and drive in the world – all of the passion, the vision and purpose imaginable – but unless you are able to answer ‘how hungry are you about achieving your goal?’ with a big fat “very hungry”, then that ‘yes I did it’ is not going to materialise.
There is a myriad of opportunities for those willing to seek them out and grab them. Of course, it’s scary as hell sometimes, maybe even all the time. But if you have that fire within, then you will seize the day, the month, the year, the opportunity. You will know that with every decision there is a compromise. You will accept and own the decisions you’ve made and know that there are NO excuses; that ultimately you own your journey and your decision – right there, right then grabbing it firmly in both hands.
Like the students that graduated, who felt amazing and whose fire was well and truly ignited as a result of the program ask yourself how determined are you to reach your end goal? How hungry are you really?
Hunger is the one thing that will ultimately get you closer to the graduation of your own dreams.
Until next time.
