The best part of sleeping for me is when I dream; both are rare for me at this point in my life. As I get older, I enjoy the dreams much more than I do the challenges I have with getting a good night’s sleep.
I wake up many mornings in the middle of a dream that I sit with to make sure that I get the download. If I jump up and start my day, I might lose the download or dream message.
I wrote my first book based on a download that came to me one morning; the whole book came to mind clearly on the one morning. That download for my first book has kept me curious and eager for each new one as it comes to me.
The one I had recently seemed just as important as my book download, so I decided to write about it.
I woke up very early on this one morning and realized that I had just been in a dream. My dream was as real as if I were in the meeting room with the other attendees.
I was sitting at a board table in a meeting room, and when I looked around, I was the only male in the room, and I was the only white male at the table. I was excited to learn what I was doing in this room filled with black women leaders.
When I asked the woman next to me what we were here for, she politely replied that we would meet with Oprah in a few minutes. She told me that we were each going to pitch an idea to her for an upcoming show. I was very excited and then realized that I was in a dream and needed to come up with a pitch.
I came up with one in a blink of an eye; I was going to pitch her on talking about the next generation of leaders and the need for more diversity, equity, and inclusion among their tanks. I wanted to be a part of the conversation that focuses on getting more baby boomers leaders to sit down with aspiring Gen X and Millennials leaders.
I had held a vision for many years of being one of the links between the generations that would close the skills, knowledge, and competencies gaps for the talented up-and-coming leaders.
I knew that if we could recognize the emerging leaders, we could meet them where they are and support them in going after their career development goals.
Oprah walked into the room with her team, and I thought to myself that this would happen. When she called on me, we made eye contact and smiled at each other, now was the time for me to share my one big idea.
Oprah asked me some questions and seemed very interested in diversifying the next generation of leaders as I started to talk. She was intrigued that I was in the room as the lone white male, so I shared with her my passion for being an ally to others.
After I gave her a quick summary of my back story as a gay global leader who advocated for others throughout my corporate career, I saw the twinkle in her eye, and she asked to meet with me offline after the meeting!!!
The dream goes on, and I am conversing with Orpah on her show about the importance of supporting a new generation of diverse leaders. I pinched myself before and after the show, remaining calm and focused during our talk.
Dreams have a way of giving us messages that we might otherwise not pay attention to while awake. I have been in thought for quite some time about how I might change what we need when developing and supporting the next generation of diverse leaders. It is exhilarating to think or dream about being a part of such an impactful opportunity!!!
While I keep my dream at the forefront of my mind, I look forward to having it come to fruition while I am awake pursuing my life’s passion of working with aspiring and emerging leaders.
How might you benefit from developing your unique leadership style for the next generation?
Are you ready to significantly impact the diversity needed with the next generation of leaders?
With much gratitude.
—
This post is republished on Medium.
***
The Good Men Project gives people the insights, tools, and skills to survive, prosper and thrive in today’s changing world. A world that is changing faster than most people can keep up with that change. A world where jobs are changing, gender roles are changing, and stereotypes are being upended. A world that is growing more diverse and inclusive. A world where working towards equality will become a core competence. We’ve built a community of millions of people from around the globe who believe in this path forward. Thanks for joining The Good Men Project.
Support us on Patreon and we will support you and your writing! Tools to improve your writing and platform-building skills, a community to get you connected, and access to our editors and publisher. Your support will help us build a better, more inclusive world for all.
***