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ISSN (Print) 1013-9052
EISSN 1658-3558
The Saudi Dental Journal,
P.O. Box 52500,
Riyadh 11563,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tel.
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966-1-467-7328
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Fax.
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933-1-467-7308 /
966-1-467-7534
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Email
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saudidj@ksu.edu.sa
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SDJ
Editorial
Leadership and the will to become: A personal philosophy
During my thirty-year career as a dental faculty member, many of my students
expressed fear that they may not have the gift or endurance necessary to "become"
an excellent dentist. To those who were visibly gifted, I simply stated "do
not worry, you shall become " and they did. To those who were visibly not
gifted but also did not have the courage and endurance necessary, I stated "You
were not meant to become, change career" and some of them did. To those
who were not visibly gifted but showed courage, endurance and tenacity, I stated
the following :
There are those who
were meant to become. There are those who were not meant to become. More
importantly, there are those who were not meant to become but were given a
choice to become.
Those who were meant
to become
became what they
were meant to become,
can't become anything else,
they had been accustomed to
easily become,
they simply become what was intended.
Those who were not
meant to become do not become,
accept staying where they land,
can't become
anything else,
they have been
accustomed to easily stay where they land.
Those who were not meant to become but chose to become became
what they wanted to be,
can become anything they elect, they have the will to
become,
they have the
tenacity to endure the road to becoming,
they have not been accustomed to
easily become,
they know that they become only when they decide to become,
they
know that a decision to become is one to endure sufferings.
Those who were meant
to become contribute to their intended professions at apace
dictated by their professional training,
their contributions are bounded by their
preparations,
they spend their lives doing whatever they were
intended to do within the bounds and protection of their organizations, they lead those who were not intended to become.
Those who were not meant to become contribute to
the jobs where they landed,
contribute at apace dictated by the
workplace,
their contributions are bounded by their nature,
they spend their lives doing whatever they were
engaged for within the bounds and
protection of their employer,
they have no leadership role.
Those who
were not meant to become but chose to become contribute
to their professions at apace dictated by insights far
exceeding their professional preparations,
their
contributions are boundless, original and visionary,
they have the confidence to renovate, create and
invent,
they are not
afraid to invade new frontiers and endure the road to achieve new heights,
they
lead those who were intended to become.
The special traits of those who were not intended
to become but chose to
become are acquired by them during their trip to becoming,
their desire to
become brought about a major conflict that they had to resolve,
conflict
resolution is accompanied by acquiring endurance,
coping with suffering, development of visionary skills,
learning to climb
beyond boundaries, and discovering one's own creative and inventive
skills.
Those who were not intended to become but chose to
become advance humanity.
They are the only group who acquired the skills
to lead the world;
They gained wisdom through conflict resolution;
They gained
determination through insight;
They gained persistence through courage;
They
gained resolve through confidence;
They are
the only group who really makes a difference in the evolution of civilization.
So, my
students and young colleagues, if you do not grasp it easily, do not give
up, try harder, endure, persist, reflect and invent, pay the price of your becoming. Those who pay the price enjoy added benefits they do not just become, they become LEADERS.
Hamdi Mohammed-Al Tahawi, DDS, MScD, PhD, FICD, DICOI, FADM, DASO
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