23 Apr How to experience a quantum leap: 3 sure approaches to go to the next level in your career and business

I wasn’t thinking and aiming high the way I do these days until one day. It was May 1998 in Addis Ababa. I was a 3rd-year student at Addis Ababa University (AAU), the largest university in my native country Ethiopia.

It was a logical progression when I decided to serve my fellow AAU students considering I used to be a youth leader in my hometown Harar before I enrolled at AAU.

To give you a little bit of background, from freshman year till then, I was always thinking of becoming a student leader. In my head, however, I was preparing to take one step at a time. First to contest at cohort and then faculty level, and to go and represent my faculty as one of the 12 executive members of the student union.

Retrospectively, making a quantum leap and directly seeking one of the top spots wasn’t on my radar.

Serving as an executive officer was a long-term goal. In the back of my head, I made a little calculation of how I’d progress within the student union leadership hierarchy- When I become a 4th-year student, I’ll run for the secretary position. The following year vice-president, and by my senior year (I was studying Veterinary medicine which was a 6 years program), I’ll run for the Presidency.

Anyways, I got elected at the cohort and then faculty level, and became one of the executives representing the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM). I was so excited. My dream since freshman year came true.

Notice, I had some legitimate reasons, at least for me, for the way I mapped out my journey incrementally- one small step (one officer role) at a time till I get to the top! First of all, I wasn’t a senior year student with fewer course loads. Second, my faculty was the smallest among the other 11 big faculties and nobody knew me let alone voted for me if I took an officer-level position. Third, I was from a science field. In the history of AAU student leadership, no top leadership was taken by students from natural science faculties.

Can you see the limitations I was putting against myself without even me realizing it? Without double-checking whether my assumptions were true or not?

Interestingly, one of the executives representing another faculty who happened to know me well casually mentioned saying that he might nominate me to run for an office, just days before the officers’ election day.

I don’t remember the exact conversation and how I responded. I must have shrugged off the thought of me running for a higher office since I had felt I wasn’t ready. Already felt overwhelmed at the level I was representing my faculty. Fulfilling my leadership obligations while a 3rd-year student at the peak of one of the most challenging programs already raised the bar. And, I wasn’t willing anytime soon to lift it any higher.

On the way back to my faculty that evening, I thought about my friend’s idea of me running for an office. It must be my ego that forced me to entertain the idea. Sure enough, I opened to the possibility. But I was not expecting a positive outcome even if I was nominated.

My thinking was even if he nominates me, who is going to vote for me? Even if I might get some votes, I didn’t anticipate getting enough votes to become an officer of this gigantic and historic institution.

While still entertaining this idea that further raises the bar, without making a solid decision, I traveled 45-kilo meters and arrived at the main campus in Sidist Kilo the previous night. The next day was Election Day.

I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’m happy that I came this far and was part of a dynamic team. On the other, I was worried and asked:

• Will my friend nominate me as he proposed?
• If so, do I have what it takes?
• What if some congress members object to my nomination?
• What if I don’t get any vote at all or get the smallest votes? And so on.

You got the idea. My mentality was filled with all kinds of underdog thoughts because of the underlining limiting beliefs I had and my faulty brain wiring.

To make the story short, my friend nominated me to run for the Presidency!!! While my friend’s confidence in me stunned me, I was surprised no one objected! Do you remember? I was enlisting all kinds of reasons why I didn’t qualify to run for higher offices until I earn my way by serving a few years at lower levels.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, I got elected overwhelmingly against all my own doubts, fear, and second-guessing about why I didn’t qualify to run for the highest office.

The moral of the story is that we all have some seemingly ‘justifiable reasons’ that are keeping us staying the same or seeking just incremental enough progress. While we could experience a quantum leap and advance our life, relationships, career, and business, we limit ourselves and overstay in one spot for too long. As a result, we deny ourselves fulfillment and serving a larger number of people on higher ground.

Since that experience, over the years, I kept raising my own bars. I’ve come a long way given how low I started my journey from one of the poorest villages in Ethiopia. Being the first in my family to go to college. Got multiple degrees including a doctoral degree. Wrote books, inspired, and coached others to do the same.

Nonetheless, I’ve found myself once in a while buying into some faulty assumptions, harboring disempowering beliefs, and settling for less. There were also times some of my friends and mentors caught me lowering my own bar.

By the way, I still regularly stop and:

• Recognize my next level,
• Audit if I’m harboring any disempowering beliefs,
• Identify skills that are necessary to go to the level, and
• Personality and character I need to develop to become and stay relevant at that level.

In my presentation this coming Tuesday, April 27th, I’ll share:

1. The reasons why we don’t progress as much as we deserve, and on the other hand, how highly successful people experience a quantum leap regularly
2. Some of my stories of stagnation, what happened, and how I got out of the rut
3. The mentality of those who advance consistently and how to configure our minds to think as they do
4. Next level competencies we need to begin developing
5. Personality and character traits we need to build before we even get to the next level, and more.

The presentation is jampacked with:

1. Latest scientific insights,
2. Working models,
3. Practical strategies and tactics to begin to apply right away to position you to make a quantum leap and take your life, relationships, career, and/or business to the next level.

Many of the insights, frameworks, and approaches will be taken from some of the books I’ll soon publish and those I’ve already published:

1. Overcoming 1st Timers Syndrome equips those who were hired or promoted to become supervisors, project managers, and team leaders for the first time. It empowers them to develop the right mindset, competencies, and personality to make a smooth transition and excel in their new next-level role.
2. Unchain Your Greatness provides a pathway, with four stages the great ones from diverse cultures passed through, for those who dared to tap into their unlimited potential and ultimately unleash their greatness chained within.
3. The Highest Level of Greatness offers the trio of mandatory factors to seek, go to the next height, and attain true greatness that sustains and lasts.
4. Soft Skills That Make or Break Your Success empowers professionals, business owners, and leaders who decided to develop next-level people skills to take their career, business, or team to the next height.

My goal is to inspire and challenge you to make a move before you’re ready, to go for a quantum leap than incremental progress by begin thinking differently, refining your skills and personality, and taking bold actions to advance forward.

You deserve it! You’ve what it takes! It is your turn! The world around you cannot wait to see your next-level psychology, skills, and personality!

Hope to see you on April 26 at Hotel at the University of Maryland.

To watch my brief message (~ 90 seconds):

To read a recent blog on “Take your career and business to the next level– April 26, 2022″, click here…

To learn more about the event and register, go to https://www.mpireconex.org/