Connecting the Dots – 'Thought" Leadership'

I am very thankful for the varied influences in my life so far.

My youth was a world of constant change. Most notably, moving from San Ramon to Seoul, South Korea, in fifth grade was like starting over on a new planet.

This move helped me realize my color and social standing differences at an early age and ultimately helped me adjust and adapt to new social circumstances.

Being U.S.-born with Indian heritage in a Korean society was quite perplexing. I quickly understood I was different from the other kids.

I also realized over time that most people living in Korea have uniquely strong cultural practices and varying lifestyles in regards to elderly respect, culture and society norms.

I welcomed the new experience and wanted to get better integrated and assimilated into their buddy system and to do that I had to be respectful of their culture, understand their lifestyles and, more importantly, communicate and collaborate to their attention and ultimately gain their respect and acceptance.

This process led me to understand certain core values and insights, such as respect and caring, which helped me to become a better leader in society. Of great interest and satisfaction, those qualities elevated me to a level that was recognized with "the best governance" award at Seoul International School.

Being able to identify and relate to multiple perspectives and using that to “connect the dots” is a quality that separates leaders from “thought” leaders. Many positions I hold within the community and school have benefited from my ability to connect the dots ... to make meaning from various perspectives and situations.

Starting in my freshman year in high school I joined many groups and clubs specifically to get broad exposure to a variety of people, circumstances and ideas. To my own surprise, I found I was able to work my way up within those organizations and groups because of my ability to make those connections and provide valuable opinions that reflected my ability to identify and leverage the best of many perspectives.

This quality of connecting the dots has allowed me to become a better and more productive individual within my community and demonstrate the positive traits of a “thought leader.”

Today, many teens tend to provide opinions that are very “teen-like” and those opinions can sometimes be written off by adults. Many adults and organizations that I am a part of value my opinion because I am always fair and balanced and provide perspectives that are never too extreme.

The person I have begun to develop into was significantly influenced by this quality of connecting the dots. The leader and productive community member I have become has been an amazing adventure.  It is because I have learned to value the opinions of citizens of all ages and ethnicities to make sure groups I am a part of hear what people have to say and help provide solutions of value for everyone.

Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” I couldn’t agree more and only hope I can continue to grow and follow this path to an increasingly better understanding.