Recently, I had the privilege of hearing Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, who spoke about a philosophy that stayed with me: Ubuntu. Often, it’s expressed simply as, “I am because we are”. The idea that who we become is shaped by relationships with others.
“I am because we are” does not mean I am whatever everyone else wants me to be. For me, it means allowing the right people to shape you, without allowing every voice to define you.
And can I point to very specific people who have shaped my career? People who did not simply mentor me; they sponsored me. They mentioned my name when I was not in the room. They invited me to spaces I didn’t think about.
They gave me an opportunity before I was completely sure I was ready. And, importantly, they did not always tell me what I wanted to hear. I often heard about things I didn’t want to hear. But they changed my trajectory.
So, one of the things I now try and do for colleagues, for my students, for my registrars, and for the team I work with, is if I meet a talented colleague, student or registrar, I don’t just tell them they are talented.
I tell them whom they should meet; what opportunity I can put them forward for; what room I can help them in; because someone else did that for me. And that’s where the phrase “no one is too small to make a difference” still resonates with me.
As I begin this next chapter of my leadership, I keep coming back to those words: I am because we are. I am here because people opened doors for me; because colleagues have challenged me; because patients have trusted me; because teams have backed me; and because people sometimes saw more in me than I did in myself.
I ask each and every one of you to take a moment and reflect on that.
I know many of you already do, and I’m no expert. It’s a learning journey that we’re all on together. But I think it’s a responsibility that we all hold.
