Where Purpose Is Born
Whenever people talk to me about being disengaged at their jobs, my response is usually, “You’re not tired. You’re uninspired.”
I am fortunate to be among those who go to sleep everyday feeling a sense of fulfillment after putting in 8 hours (or more) of work because at the African Leadership Group, not only do you spend every moment feeling like you’re living your purpose but you also get to see the impact of the work that you do.
I also know what it is like to be at the other end of the spectrum.
Interesting enough, my journey to ALG has been quite a tortuous one, and never did I imagine when I graduated with my BSc in Chemical Engineering back in 2008 that I would end up here, and yet here I am, and it’ll be very hard to tell my story without mentioning the trash picker who used to clean my street back in 2009, the one who changed the trajectory of my life even though I didn’t know his name.
So let me start from the very beginning.
As a Kenyan who grew up in the UAE, when it came to careers, I only had three options; to be an engineer, a doctor, or a failure.
So I went with engineering. I toiled away through the school system for years and then in 2008, I finally graduated, and got a corporate job.
I was set.
Or so I thought.
One year later, I started questioning if I had gone to school to do the job I was doing in the office. Even though I was being paid as a female engineer, I was doing the work of a glorified secretary.
Fifteen months into this ‘graduate program’ that had me operate all types of printers, distinguish the difference between A0 and A1 sized papers, I was completely disengaged at work, and depressed about life. Deep inside, I was intentionally doing the minimum at work because I wanted to get fired. I couldn’t face my parents and tell them that I was resigning.
Not after all the money invested in my education.
And not after this job that appeared so perfect on paper.
And not after the 2008 economic recession.
Then one day, I was on my way to work, and I saw a cleaner on the street where I lived. I usually encountered this particular cleaner at another corner whenever I went to work on time. Seeing him reach my building meant one thing that was verified by my watch.
I was late.
Very, very late for work.
And in an eye-opening moment, I found myself reflecting about this man who was diligently picking up trash from one end of my neighborhood to another, unsupervised under the relentless UAE sun, just so he can earn his living honestly.
And what was I doing?
Reporting late to work. And I became overwhelmed with a sense of shame, because I had always considered myself a person of integrity. I never cheated in an exam, and yet here I was being dishonest with work.
Noting that I was losing myself in my job, a few months later, I finally gave in my resignation and decided to return to grad school. Seven years later, I graduated with a PhD in interdisciplinary engineering and woke up in Kenya.
After a lifetime in the UAE and after a lifetime in the academic system, I found myself asking the question, Why is it that after spending a lifetime inside classrooms, what really helped me rebuild my life in Kenya were the books I read outside of class?
I wanted to interact with people, and help them think differently about education, work, and leadership. I wanted to develop people, inspire them to live with more intentionality and help them find greatness in themselves.
One conversation led to another, and one referral led to another, until I came across the African Leadership Group, a place that was completely in line with the impact I wanted to create in the world.
That was how I stumbled upon ALG where everyday I wake up driven to transform Africa by engaging and working with some of the brightest minds to help people think differently about unleashing human potential.
Unleash your purpose today, apply here
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Pathfinder — The Room at ALG
