You Don’t Have To See the Whole Staircase – Just Take The First Step

It was apparently Dr Martin Luther King who said you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step – and as I sat with a group of 70 odd women global leaders at a meeting convened by Vital Voices last week in Johannesburg, I completely understood Dr King’s words more so than ever before.

Of course Dr King was probably remarking on the civil rights movement which he led in the United States. He was probably remarking that even though a dream may seem far off, our responsibility is to take the first step in doing, and, to borrow from Paulo Coelho, the whole universe will conspire to make it happen. And as I conferenced with these 70 remarkable global female leaders throughout last week, it became blatantly obvious that each one had travelled a road, each one had travelled a road less travelled and that each one had created a path rather than followed a path. For each one had dreamed a unique idiosyncratic dream. A dream that rendered them weird, obtuse and bizarre; but a dream that they could not but pursue even though they may not have been able to see the whole staircase from the outset.

You see, these women are doing remarkable things in their communities. They are making positive change in their societies, and some are doing so with tremendous danger to their lives as they tackle social and cultural taboos.

In fact what they are doing in their communities is so peculiar and pioneering that their voice represents a vital voice in their communities and societies. Much the same way that the Suffragettes were are vital voice the in late 19th century, and Billie Jean King remains a vital voice in women’s sports and tennis in particular, all of these women stay true to their own authentic voice and calling, even though they may not have been able to see the whole staircase, even though they may not know the end of where they are going and how they will reach the destination, they carried on, knowing that a desired destination had to be reach. Further, they have refused to stop until that desired destination has been reached.

So it is in business. Sometimes as a business woman and CEO, you may not know how or if that dream is possible. You may not know how and even if you will achieve that dream, but soldier on you do and soldier on you must because it is only in throwing in the first pebble that a ripple forms and the ripple effect begins.

But then of course therein lies the ingredient for leadership and legacy, for when you dream an original dream or are gingered in calling to a new path, you begin a transformative journey for society and for yourself.

As the year draws to a close many of us may not yet see the whole staircase, we may not yet see the expected end that we desire, but we must be kind to ourselves. Rome was not built in a day and so long as we take the first step, the second, third, fourth and fifth step to the attainment of our business dreams and ambitions, we are making the necessary inroads.

Have big dreams. You will grow into them