Sep 15, 2020
BeAWillL Network is the brainchild of Dr. Patricia Murugami of Breakthrough Leadership Transformation.
Dr. Patricia, with great intuition and innovation, has created a space for women interested in advancing their career leadership potential in the different spaces they embody, presently occupy, or aspire to attain, and to network, interact, learn and mentor one another along the way.
I was fortunate enough to attend the August 2020 Virtual Session of BeAWillL Network on 28th August 2020. The theme was “Develop Your Career GAME PLAN Despite the Turbulence.”
The keynote speaker, coach, mentor, and trainer was Colleta Macharia, author of the book, How to Design Your Career GAME PLAN.
Colleta Macharia describes her work as, “….that of cultivating human potential. I people who seek personal development to leverage their inner strengths for leading self and others, career success, productivity, enhanced relationships. The main avenues through which I support people are coaching, mentoring, training, and developing inspiring, thought-provoking content.” You can read more about Colleta Macharia on her website www.colletamacharia.com.
I would describe Colleta as being like free-flowing water. Deceptively calm, but with a strength and depth beneath the surface.
She took us through a tough, illuminating, intrusive, and ultimately enlightening journey of discovery of how to positively and deliberately navigate our present career growth. And to determine the Why and How to transform ourselves into the Who and What we positively aspire and perceive ourselves to be.
The focus of Colleta’s instruction was our career
GAME PLAN.
G- Gifts P- Playground
A- Attributes L- Leverage
M- Motivation A- Articulating My Value
E- Experience N- Nature
The first task Colleta presented us with was to identify whether we consider our career to be a Journey or a Destination? And, whatever our answer, what our mode of transportation maybe?
Trick question, right? I certainly thought so. And, thought I had the right answer. My career is a journey, though I wasn’t too sure what transportation.
Turns out I was wrong. Yes, it is a trick question. But no, the answer isn’t in either of the two options presented.
According to Colleta, our careers are neither a journey nor a destination. Our careers are the Vehicle which we use to navigate ourselves as we journey towards our ultimate destination.
The question then becomes; What is our Destination? Where do we want to go, to be, at the end of our careers?
And, having identified that, how do we intend to get there?
That is the essence of having a Career GAME PLAN.
Next, we were asked to gauge ourselves on a scale of 1-to-10 on how well we know our gifts. Our intrinsic capabilities which we tap into on our career journey.
Then, to determine what soft skills we need in order to develop ourselves.
And finally, what it is that we need in order to strengthen and enhance our skills so as to make a difference.
A difference in our careers and a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Remember, leadership is not just about self-propulsion. It is also about giving and guiding others in their own journey of upward career and personal growth.
And according to Colleta, a soldier does not go into battle without a strategy. A competitive sportsperson does not get into the arena without a clear plan of how to win.
So too do we require a clear strategy, a clear plan of where we want to be, to achieve in our careers. What we ought to do in order to propel ourselves towards those goals, and how we position ourselves to attain our career objectives and realize our ambitions.
We were blessed with a very diverse group of ladies in attendance. I am in that grey space between formal employment and established self-employment. There was a stay-at-home mother who home schools her children and there were super career-oriented women in different heights of their careers.
I, like a lot of other women, attended the webinar from home, others were en route from work. We had a few ladies who were in their village homes. Clearly, a mixed group of women with every one of us in our own career situation.
There is a place for every woman looking for career growth, a chance to learn, grow, find a mentor and be a mentor to others in our individual journeys to the top of our career ambitions and personal mountain tops.
A very close friend and personal hero of mine said to me, “There is an opportunity for everyone. We only need to position ourselves to achieve that which we desire.”
Breakthrough Leadership Transformation is changing my life. It has changed my life. BeAWillL Network is changing my life, it has changed my life. I invite you all to turn up. Attend. Listen. Learn. Grow. Transform Yourself.
