Lights, Please.

Let’s discuss one of the most difficult challenges we have as leaders: The challenge of sustaining stability in a corporate setting with a mindset of no limitations.

This piece should be good.

How do you prioritize being a steward of where you are vs. not dimming the light of where you belong?

As a lot of us know, corporate America can be extremely frustrating, yet fruitful at the same time. Frustrating - because there will be moments where you look around and realize you may be the most talented, the most knowledgeable, the most empathetic and gifted individual in the room but there may be limited things that you can do about it considering the politics and essence of the corporate structure. Fruitful - because the knowledge, experience and wisdom that you gain, along with the networks & relationships, could benefit your career, forever. 

Let’s deal with the frustrations, first.

As a black man from the Eastside of Detroit, the one thing I was never taught was how to dim my light. I was raised to be unapologetic in who you are, once you find out who you are. I also grew up extremely competitive. Therefore, when I realized I could be really good at something, often times I strived to be the very best. There was a level of humility that was taught within those lessons, but a lot of times there was honestly a thin line. Now, having experience working in Corporate America, I’ve noticed diverse examples of folk dimming their light. I’ve seen it by individuals who will conform, becoming a different person, in efforts to fit a role or position title. I’ve seen changes in behavior once roles or titles are inherited/earned. All in all, you’ll sometimes see a difference and a dimming in the light of who that person truly is. Now, these examples aren’t always a bad thing, but it becomes an issue when one dims their true God-given light. That frustrates me sometimes because I’ve realized that when folk don’t walk in their own light, in particular moments they’ll walk in someone else’s light which causes unnecessary conflict. 

There is a reason God created everything, one by one. There is a specific uniqueness in each creation that surrenders no unnecessary overlap. That’s the beauty. You’ve probably heard the term “stepping on toes” a lot. Yeah, well this phrase is usually used when there is potential or actual evidence of someone stepping out of their own light, colliding into someone else’s. The goal should be in becoming a lamp for others. 

There is also a challenge in keeping your peace in moments where you know you could be doing more in your community, but you get so frustrated in trying to change an environment that doesn’t have the same goal, passion or priorities. There will be people who are in more prominent roles who will see your passion and priority, but will not grant you the momentum to thrive in the space that they share. Don’t worry, though. It’s not the end of the world. The truth is, a lot of people fear what they don’t understand. The key is in Love. Do everything in Love and truth and you’ll always win in the end… even when it doesn’t feel like it.

I admire a consistent world where leaders aren’t negatively affected or envious in the efforts of breeding more leaders. Yes, that means that sometimes one star may shine brighter than the other. Why does this seem to be so hard to accept in a lot of corporate settings? Especially when, essentially, every star still shines lol. I challenge every leader to identify a star within their group. Ask yourself, ‘what can I do to ensure that this star could shine even brighter?’ Start there and watch how fast your group grows in every dynamic, possible. At that point you will be watering a garden that is filled with rich soil and tremendous fruits. 

Speaking of fruits, Dillon, (you may ask) How can Corporate be so fruitful to you?

My biggest currency throughout my career has been relationships. Relationships are so essential in your career that if you don’t have them, you will be stuck in “Corp-Sand”… which is similar to quicksand… but Corporate lol. Everybody needs somebody. Shoot, Every human needed a mother in order to experience life as a human. You’re going to need someone to get to the next level. Remember what I said earlier, about that position that a leader may conform to? Yeah that same said leader is in that position because they KNEW SOMEONE. They may have worked their tail off and have all of the credentials, but that means nothing when you’re playing the game of “Who You Know” & not “What You Know”.

Another piece of fruit is the wisdom & experience that you gain from Corporate. Although things could be challenging, I’ve always embraced failure. I’ve always embraced moments of mishap. Those are the moments that create the true leader within you. Whenever you learn how to take an ‘L’ , you learn how to overcome an ‘L’ and eventually transform an ‘L’ into a ‘W’.

What I had to learn was everything, good or bad is considered, Great. There is a greater You that can be birthed from every situation. It’s all about perspective. Fortunately, there have been many moments in Corporate where I’ve had the opportunity to look myself in the mirror and challenge a better version each time I see my reflection. In addition, I ultimately learned about the type of leader I want to be, the leader that I am and the leader that I’m becoming.

Now to answer our original question: How do you prioritize being a steward of where you are vs. not dimming the light of where you belong?

The answer is simple: Show up. 

Be intentional about where you currently are. It may or may not be where you want to be but the key is to not become a victim of the moment, but a monster in the time being. Control what you can control. Dominate your role. Destroy your obstacles. Diminish your fears. Deploy your confidence into every project or assignment that you are tasked or created. Understand that you can be a sponge and mess-cleaner at the same time… meaning you have the power to soak up as much knowledge and wisdom as possible while multitasking, ensuring other things are getting done. It’s possible! Always remember that just because you aren’t at one table doesn’t mean you can’t set or eat at another…

When this is done, your light won’t even be compatible with a dimmer.