Perks of Responsibilities

Being the first born son in a home of three boys basically meant being the experimental child in the family and ultimately being the child that my parents wanted to live their unfulfilled dreams through. This then meant that I carried so much expectations from all sides of my family,there was no tolerance of error and not even a smudge of leniency when it came to discipline administration.In other words I survived some tough love,for my mom I was a beacon of hope for the continuity of her generation and to my dad I was an investment that would pay off when I started working and they had retired as for my extended family well it was another loss because had I been born a girl that would be a rather handsome dowry payment when it came to the right time. In my head I was an overwhelmed child just like every other child whose parents or guardians wanted him to do something he had no interest in,I dreamt of being a pilot whereas my father wanted me to be a doctor but being my mother's son I was stubborn enough to convince him that it doesn't matter which profession you are in money is still money at the end of the day. My parents constantly and persistently kept me on my toes which I later on came to find out that I carried their hopes and dreams on my shoulders and also by me being on my best behavior it would trickle down to my siblings thus having the same effect on them with much less effort on their part. For instance if I broke any of the standard rules set,which were as simple as making my bed or getting out of bed without saying my prayer,I would receive a rather severe punishment on the other hand though,when I set a rather new standard of discipline at home I was equally rewarded.
Having also learnt how to love and utilize books I came across one that stated 'As you work,work with love and a passion that will move God to bless the work of your hands' at the time my work was to ensure that my siblings were aligned with what our parents' visions looked like,something they constantly emphasized to me regularly. Their tactic came a long way in enabling me to learn how to treat others when in a position of power,however,little it might seem.It is also important to note that a house is always built by a brick laid everyday and the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step at a time.I chose to use the same kind of tactical basics with my brothers especially when I used to baby sit,by learning who they were at a personal intimate level,their fears and their motivations I understood what methods I had to employ at that time.One method happened to be preaching water and taking water.For instance if I wanted them to always clear the table I cleared it myself and cleaned it immediately after in the exact way I would like it to be done,this way they would also see and implement and if they did everything correctly they both got chocolate bars or a lot of candy and a few coins.I am not perfect but this worked for us and we rarely had sibling rivalries.
How does all these compare to the business world? You then might ask. Let me explain.For a business to work a leader has to have a specific set of skills,based on my research they are; You should provide inspiration,teach and learn,be bold,be humble,listen to your people,strike a balance and always tackle challenges. As a customer service leader this then will reflect better onto your external customers if your internal ones feel at home under your leadership since goals and objectives will be aligned as well as ambitions.
Therefore, leadership can be summarized by two quotes; "The challenge of leadership is to be strong,but not rude;be kind but not weak;be bold,but not a bully;be thoughtful but not lazy;be humble but not timid;be proud but not arrogant;and have humor but without folly."-Jim Rohn and "If your actions inspire others to dream more,learn more,do more and become more,you are a leader."-John Quincy Adams.