LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM
THE LIFE OF J.K ROWLING
1. Great women are bold and courageous
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during that time. She could have packed up
her dreams, but she did not. She continued
to pursue her dream during the challenges.
She did not quit on her dream.
8. Great women are not always strong.
Rowling suffered from depression and
contemplated suicide. It’s okay if you are
not always strong. No one is strong all the
time. It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to lament, it’s
okay to feel sorry for yourself, but have a
deadline for your grieving period and don’t
go beyond it. Great women know how to
come back.
9. Great women do not make excuses. There
is no place at the top for those who always
have excuses; who have a reason for failing
even before they try. Great women have
challenging circumstances; they do not
become successful in the most convenient
of times. They simply learn to adapt to the
conditions and pursue their dreams amid
the challenges that life throws at them. It
has been said about J.K Rowling that she
wrote in cafes or any place where she could
get her daughter to fall asleep. And she
wrote in cafes because taking her baby out
for a walk was the best way to make her
sleep. When you want to achieve something
you find a way.
10. Great women keep going despite the
rejections. They are determined to see their
dream materialise and will not take no
for an answer. They know that sometimes
rejection is an invitation to review and redo.
11. Great women do not quit. Quitters never
win, and great women are winners. If one
rejection brings your dream to an end, then
you did not want that dream to begin with,
and you will never see it materialise. If you
can’t fight for your vision, who will? If you
quit at the first negative comment you hear,
how are you going to convince anyone that
your dream is worth their investment of
time and or resources?
12. Great women are an inspiration to other
women. Their story gives hope and sends
across a simple but powerful message, one
that says, if I can so can you. J.K Rowling has
inspired many with her rags to riches story.
women. Joan was brave and courageous.
It takes courage to pursue your dreams
especially in the face of poverty and other
challenges of life.
Great women are resilient. Resiliency
means that they can get back up every
time life knocks them down. J.K Rowling
was knocked down several times, from the
death of her mother to her divorce and the
rejection of her manuscript, she found a
way to get up every time. It takes resilience
to attain that.
Great women understand that failure is
not final. And therefore, they try again and
again and again. They remain hopeful and
convince themselves that next time things
will be better, and they will win. And if it
doesn’t happen, that’s okay, they hope again,
and they try again.
Great women know that when you hit
rock bottom there is nowhere else to go
but the top. J.K Rowling once said, “Rock
bottom became the solid foundation on
which I rebuilt my life.” How profound that
statement is. When you are down, there is
no other place to go but up. Great women
remain optimistic even amid unfavorable
conditions.
Great women are givers. J.K Rowling lost
her billionaire status only because she
gave away a great deal of her wealth. Small
women hoard because they are fearful and
operate from a place of scarcity. But great
women release because they operate from a
place of faith and abundance.
Great women know how to turn negative
situations to their advantage. A delayed
journey was used to conceive a dream that
would change her fortune forever. When
things don’t go as planned how do you
respond? How do you make it work to your
advantage?
Great women don’t quit on their dreams
no matter how long it takes to be fulfilled
or what troubles they have on the way. J.K
Rowling’s vision took seven long years to
be achieved, and she had plenty of trouble
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DOZ Magazine | May 2019