In 2006, as I made the decision to transition out of formal employment, my focus zeroed on what value I could bring to small and medium sized enterprises particularly the leaders in their strive to create meaningful impact for their stakeholders.
This year makes 19 years and counting, and Q-Sourcing Servtec Group has grown from a naive start-up dream to a brand creating lasting impact at community level. I have been blessed with vast and powerful experiences most of which involved learning and unlearning; advancing and withdrawing; regrets and satisfaction, and building teams of experts, managers and leaders.
The journey included many great personalities who I met and that have shaped how, what and when I think about different aspects of life including self, family and friends, plus the community (physical and online).
A few things standout as I reflect on the above, most notably are these five unexpected teachers:
1. The brutal truth-tellers: Those seemingly critical and unsatisfactory stakeholders that never held back from providing candid feedback. These voices have fed me with ‘what next’ to pay attention to, so please keep those criticisms coming.
2. The unsolicited and unexpected gratitude-givers: They have kept me feeling ‘human’.
3. The difficult team members: Every leader faces them: the insubordinate, indisciplined and difficult team members. Each of these has forced me to dig deeper into leadership skills I didn’t know I needed. They kept me searching for knowledge and skills, knowing there is a constituency out there that I am yet to understand and be of value to.
4. The saboteurs and backstabbers: When unsure of whether or where the risks and hazards existed, I had free counsel from this ‘group’ in our markets.
5. The Cheerleaders: Often the gold in your collection of followers, but not all that glitters is ….
All the above not withstanding, I would wish to say that the drive for continuous improvement and the desire to overcome obstacles, has been made clearer by the above.
The teenage version of the business was all about proving ourselves. As we transition into the adult phase, our perspective of value is in serving others and sharing what we have learned along the way.
I am enormously grateful to be in a position to continue to serve and share our journey as a founder of the Q-Sourcing Servtec brand.