Because I knew you
I just returned home from seeing Wicked and I am haunted by the last song between Glinda (the Good Witch) and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). These two unlikely friends since school years sing, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” It is a simple, but profound thought. Who do you know that has made you a better person? And more importantly, who can say that of you?
As leaders, we have a distinct privilege of being a person who mentors and teaches. We can be someone who builds or someone who tears down confidence, competence, and self-esteem. As parents, friends, and spouses, we also have the same opportunity.
We owe our lives and who we are to those around us who took us under their wing, who taught us when we needed to learn, who let us fail yet caught us before we fell too far, and gave us their love and admiration so we could become someone to do it for others.
I stand here today because of my family, my teachers, my husband, my children, my former bosses, my direct reports, my clients, and my friends. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
