I really did not know how to start sharing a leadership experience within my family but, after thinking about this for quite some time, I think I do have a story to tell. Back in the days, when my mother was working as Project Director for the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources in my country, she had to take very difficult decisions.
At this point in my life I believe she was a great role model for me in many aspects. I remember one time she had to take a decision of allowing some investor to have an iguana farm. In my country there has been many corruption and government officials easily could be bought out by certain business men. My courageous mother would not fit into that category: an honest woman who would do the right thing.
I remember she was even threatened for not approving some permits for the iguana farm to be in place. The businessmen were attacking her verbally and at a personal level, putting in danger her integrity and our family. My mother knew, thou, that she was doing the right thing as the people involved in the transactions were not following all the rules to create a business like that.
My mother always stood by her values and never gave up on trying to do the right thing and would not allow any permits. Now that I think about it, this behavior had great influence on me, because I was raised with that example. Leading by example is what I believe is critical in order for others to understand your ways as a leader, because it gives you credibility and you demonstrate that what you say is what you believe in.
I will always have in mind the way my mother used to deal with situations like that, in which she would have to take difficult decisions. In the end, she has been taking the right ones, at least in most of the cases…
By Fernando Aguilar @fjaguilarr
