Leadership

I have always been a natural leader of sorts: at school, at work, muri quartier, in the choir (let not my red hair fool you, I have been in church since birth). The truth is I take lots of naps, so I always have lots of ideas and lots of energy to execute them. Visionaries tend to love that, so they always entrust me with leadership. This year though, I have been thrust in a particular leadership role that is challenging everything I thought I knew. I have learned something new: If you are minding your business, shining bright, and others feel they are not shining as much, it is YOUR concern to manage. Apparently, a leader mustn’t just execute tasks, a leader must manage personalities and cuddle egos. That, ladies and gents, is an epiphany for me. I speak many languages; diplomacy is not one I ever wished to learn but my mentor says I must.

Another new thing I learned. If you are an unmarried woman leader, people tend to think you are unserious! Rather it is they that are unserious, attempting to keep inventory of the organ between your legs. This is not even true in African Conservative circles alone. (Some have made the case that Stacey Abrams’ marital status may have played a role in her Gubernatorial races) If on top of that, you have proclaimed yourself a feminist (definition: one who advocates for the equality of the sexes.) One word comes to their limited minds: Delilah.

There goes I, failing at diplomacy again… Oops.