Martial artist stretching in a dojo, symbolising discipline, focus, and dedication.

One small story at a time

by 

Jun 12, 2024

There was a young lad, quiet, but a lad all the same. He came from a working-class family; his mom raised their little family alone. He wasn’t great at academics; schoolwork didn’t come naturally. One of his relatives fancied trying martial arts, so he got dragged along. He was 14. As he started moving his body as the coach instructed, he felt good. It was one of the first things he’d done in his short years that he felt good at.

 

He started to feel… something… some self-worth maybe, some sense of achievement, belonging… although it wouldn’t be until years later that he could articulate that. After a few years of trying to carve out a space for himself in adulthood, with few job opportunities, he decided that he, too, would become a martial arts instructor, so he opened his small martial arts club.

 

He had been trading for about 10 years and was still not really progressing. There wasn’t much money in the pot. Investing in coaching wasn’t really something that he had been able to afford, but neither had it been something that he thought of doing. These kinds of choices weren’t really in his exposure.

 

Through lockdown, the company for which he arranged his insurance did some workshops, more for keeping morale up among the community than for profit, because that was part of how leadership was viewed – when times are hard, leaders step up.

 

He embarked on peeking behind the door of being coached, attending the workshops, eventually asking some questions, stepping out of his comfort zone, and applying some strategies. The coach saw things shift in him. Something ignited, and some perspective opened around his beliefs about what was possible.

 

So she never charged him the normal fee to work one to one with her. And she never told him what that would have been. They fell into a rhythm of monthly sessions, and money was never discussed. Why would she do that? Just because she felt like it. Nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes, something is just the right thing to do, just because we can.

 

He went from a small club of 50 students, with a pay-as-you-go model, doing everything himself, to a club of well over 200 students. Processes and systems were implemented, branding was developed, cash flow was secured, and he got a small team to delegate tasks to.

 

He didn’t change; no, everything was already in him; he just didn’t know it.

 

His mind was no longer set to believe in limitations; instead, he started to open up to possibilities. As his confidence grew, so did his creativity. As he hit each ceiling, he had to develop his mind to keep up with the growth of his business, As mistakes were made with his small team and his connection with his community, he had to stretch his scope of possibility a little further. Finally, he could describe himself as a businessman and a leader.

 

The lives he now impacts are quadruple what they were. The impact on his local community is bountiful,

 

The compounds of the decision to coach him will never really be witnessed in all its glory by the coach, other than the intimacy between these two human beings, where she shares her gifts with him, and he shares his gifts with his community.

 

What a privilege and an honour to be able to tell this story. Just one small story, where two people from small niche communities lent to their leadership. Who knows the ripple effects of how many people this one story of leadership has impacted over how many more years? And she doesn’t need to do that calculation because her role is simply to do the right thing and serve someone in her community.

 

Leadership isn’t a dirty word; it’s a beautiful thing. It doesn’t mean you must be a ‘boss’ or lord over others. It’s not about power – it’s about impact. It’s a magnificent ripple effect of positive influence, mutual respect, and exchange that elevates mankind.

 

Leadership, to me, is setting free other leaders who set free more leaders from their community.

 

And so, ladies and gentlemen, that is how leadership builds a great world, with one simple, beautiful story at a time.

If you get stuck… call me.

Dawn

Truth is Service