There is a popular saying that leaders are born, not made. The main objective of this article is to showcase that there are many individuals around you who are going un-noticed who have the potential to be leaders and inventors. I firmly believe this can be achieved by giving each other a little support and by creating a healthy and productive environment in order to share and discuss new and innovative ideas.

I will briefly describe two (personal and professional) stories of an individual I know very closely. Additional details will be provided at the end and hope you can help figure out who I am describing. You might be surprised. You might even see yourself in these stories.

Personal Story

This individual came to the United States for the first time in early 2000 to find work and fulfill their dreams. The person understood the culture simply by learning and observing the people around them. Unfortunately, they soon ran into an unpleasant experience anytime they needed to visit the restroom. You may be wondering why I am bringing up a person’s bowel movements, but it will soon make sense. I promise!

Imagine yourself squatting over an open hole, as opposed to sitting down on what most people call “the throne”. The differences between western toilets and the rest of the world is outlined in the below pictures.

The individual in question tried many techniques and different positions in order to feel comfortable on that porcelain chair. Finally, after three months of gyrating and pirouetting in order to cop a proverbial squat, an epiphany occurred. The person utilized a step stool to elevate their legs. This invention came with a price in being the butt of many a joke; made fun of by friends and spouse alike. Only this person never backed off nor did they give up, irrespective of what others thought, even today.

Fast forward 11 years to 2011 and the Squatty Potty was invented, patented and aired on Shark Tank, the popular entrepreneur reality TV show, in 2015. At that time, it made over $2,000,000.00 in sales in just two quarters. The theory had been proved based on anatomical reasons and 2/3^rd of the world’s population using only the squatting position to get their business done.

Professional Story

The same individual above, due to certain life experiences, lessons and other priorities, had developed a habit of keeping ideas to themselves for multiple reasons; one being not so comfortable sharing them or fearing how these ideas would be perceived. Therefore, every time a conflict occurred, or a disagreement took place, this person’s technique was putting themselves in the situation which would make both parties happy and a win-win situation, but never could be shared completely with anyone.

Gradually, over time, they came up with many possible ideas or solutions, one being the sole objective that everyone in any company should be able to express themselves without the fear of backlash while sharing ideas, feedback, opinions or innovations.

Fast forward again to 2017. Finally, after this person was able to come out of their shell to express their innovative ideas, (Note: Triggered by sequence of events, risks taken, a miracle, all credited to one person who simply agreed and took the time to listen to a few ideas) but then, it was too late, since a similar version of the application was developed and ready to be piloted.

I am sure many of you can see yourselves in similar situations, which leads me to ask this question: of the two scenarios below, which one is the optimal solution?

Solution 1: This individual is responsible for their career, development and solved their own issues and problems, but their leadership abilities and innovative ideas stagnated and were delayed.

Solution 2: This individual, if they had a little support from friends and family and the freedom to express themselves in a work environment, their innovations would have been heard and discussed and put into motion.

Therefore, one can correctly surmise that the theory that leaders and their innovative ideas can be brought to light with a little support that might currently go unnoticed.

The individual of interest in both of the above stories is in actuality myself, but you already knew this.

Please feel free to provide any comments or feedback. I will make sure to answer everyone in due time – Hope to hear from you soon!