Cheers to the game changers

I am very fortunate to have mentors who transformed my thinking and life over the years. Thanks to Franco Deregibus, Simon Boag, my mother, and many others for your generosity, kindness, and impact. I am forever grateful to you.  Mentors, I call them Game Changers, help us navigate the journey to excellence and take us to extraordinary levels. They play a vital role in the change process (individual and organization), and they must be an absolute consideration in the change journey.  Despite the consensus that mentorship is beneficial, 76% of people think mentors are essential; however, only 37% of people currently have one (Forbes). Also, more than 40 percent of the 257 organizations surveyed said they were rarely provided career planning or development (2015 Talent Mobility Research Report). This is a huge loss and the responsibility lies on the organization and the individual to seek out mentors and benefit from this great relationship. See My “Learning by Intention” post👇 Throughout my life, I sought mentors to accelerate my journey to excellence. Sometimes, I was lucky, and sometimes, I had to work on it. Here is my experience, and it was all FREE (what a game changer):
✅ They kickstarted my personal and professional development.
✅ They brought clarity to my vision, set goals, and held me accountable.
✅ They developed my leadership and people skills.
✅ They raised my confidence and strengthened my decision-making skills.
✅ They expanded my network and opened up doors to new opportunities.
❇️ I met Franco Deregibus, a well-respected veteran with solid technology and leadership capabilities when I joined Comau. He became my manager when I took the responsibility of leading the quality organization. The strength of his servant leadership, excellent listening skills and softly aligning the behavior helped me as a young manager to shape into a true leader over the years. Franco, I am forever grateful.
❇️ I met Simon Boag when he came to Chrysler Motors Corp as the head of manufacturing. He was a visionary and an execution-focused leader who took the road less traveled throughout his life. I stayed connected with him over the years; however, our relationship grew stronger when I sought his advice to start my entrepreneurial journey. He coached me in thinking it through and helped me make this challenging and important decision. Simon, you are a game-changer.
❇️ Last but not least, my mother has been a rock in my life. She shaped my thinking to dream big, take risks, and relentlessly pursue excellence. My most important decisions in life, including coming to America, was because of her. Love you forever, mother.  I end with one of most profound thinkers and my virtual mentor, Allama Iqbal: Yei Hai Sirr-e-Kaleemi Har Ek Zamane Mein Hawaye Dast-o-Shoaib-o-Shabani-e-Shab-o-Roz   The secret of excellence (Kaleemi) in every age is just, The right experience (often the challenging ones) and a mentor like Shoaib (Jethro)