3 Leadership Lessons I Learnt From DIODE Kids 2018

Good morning crew, my name is Captain Kidd!

Eight simple words. Four short weeks. Two long days. One big adventure.

I love telling stories. So, when I found out our Leaderonomics Youth team was about to have a two-day, storyline-based kids programme, I was obviously psyched!

So much so that my supervisors noticed and decided to entrust me with the ambitious task of revamping the script of the story in just five days.

At this point, you may be wondering, why five?

Well, when I came in, we had less than a month left to the programme. Considering other factors like acting practices, props and such, we knew the script needed to be out fast!

Hey Jason, why the revamp then?

Well, let’s just say that the story outline was great; just that, it wasn’t yet a story per se, catch my drift?

Regardless, the task was right up my alley and it would’ve been a ‘writer’s crime’ if I were to forgo the challenge, and boy, am I glad I didn’t!

Here are some lessons I learnt:

Be passionate enough that others begin to take notice

Confucius once said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

As ideal as that may be, the reality is that in today’s market, most of us don’t get to choose our jobs! We have to take whatever that is made available to us.

So instead of chasing that dream job, why not make it come to us? How, you may ask?

Start by being passionate enough about it that others take notice.

I was passionate about writing stories; my initial work scope as an intern may not have included writing scripts, but because I was passionate enough about it, people took notice, and I got what I wanted on my plate!

With that, let’s get back to our story.

The task was given on a Thursday, and it was successfully delivered the following Monday.

The first response was fascination, the second, interestingly enough, was the simple realisation by the team that the expectation had just been raised: from a 4-page script to a 27-pager, from simple informative lines to ones that reflect character and personality, from decorative props to meaningful ones designed to increase the depth of plot.

Suddenly, everyone had to either step out of their comfort zones and go beyond, or regress to how it was before.

READ: Shaping Young Leaders Through Role Models And Character-Building

Be passionate enough that you become a catalyst for change

The world-renowned athlete Sir Roger Bannister did the impossible on May 6, 1954 when he became the first to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Back in 1940s, this incredible feat was deemed impossible by both doctors and scientists. Yet, in less than 50 days from Bannister’s staggering achievement of 3:59.4 minutes per mile, athlete John Landy rose to the occasion and broke a new record.

Ever since then, breaking the 4-minute barrier has become commonplace for runners.

What happened? Bannister had enough passion for running that it became a catalyst for change.

My team eventually rose to meet the new level of expectation and became more than what anyone thought they could be.

Even those who were a bit hesitant in the past when it comes to acting became one of the most memorable characters during the two-day kids programme.

It became something magical for the children. We saw how they learn to be forgiving, have perseverance, practise patience, and ultimately, have fun!

One of the most amazing moments was when the main character, Captain Kidd, asked the children if the antagonist of the story, Captain Morgan, deserved a chance to redeem himself and be a better man.

Without hesitation, everyone shouted a resounding “Yes!”

You may think that they’re just children, so of course they would say yes!

But if you were there during the two days, you’d know that saying “Yes!” was really nothing less than a special moment for the kids in which their ‘bad guy’ was given a chance to be their friend.

The kids became real for the story, and the story became significant for them.

The antagonist, Captain Morgan (in blue hat) crossing over to the good side with Captain Kidd’s encouragement.

Be passionate enough that it goes beyond yourself

I love stories – be it writing, telling, or reading about them.

It could just stop there. After all, it is my passion. Who is to say that I can’t use it simply for myself?

But it could also become something slightly more meaningful to those around me, something that might just leave a footprint in crafting out a better future for this country.