When I first started my time here, I didn’t truly know what the word team meant. I mean, what do you expect? A performer, destined for the spotlight, wanting that glimpse of fame…just stop at the word ‘performer,’ and that’s all you really need to get the gist. I’ve had my fair share of experience in administrative services and marketing internships, but it always felt like I was hanging on a leash. It’s like I was left to fend for myself. No sense of direction.
The closest I ever got to seeing teamwork was from my days playing football and basketball during my elementary and high school years. However, I’m 23 and the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks aren’t giving me a look this year, so maybe this is off the table.
Whenever I watch sports like the NBA and NFL on television, it seems that people tend to remember the ‘individual’ more than the team. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll have someone like Steph Curry, Tom Brady, or Damian Lillard on my team any day (*cough cough Mustapha, we still have yet to plan a day to watch a Trail Blazers game cough cough*). But only a few leaders, like Steph or Tim Duncan, create great teams. Teams that are remembered forever.
From the get-go, I noticed it from the start. Bam! Unleash Mastermind. Everyone of the coaches was determined to cave ideas to help each other with their session struggles. There was no one-person left out. If a person was asking for advice or help, I would believe that everyone on the zoom call pitched a 10 minute speech of assistance. I think it was translated by the very culture established here at Unleash - the personal values that many corporations or tech companies, like Facebook and Google, lack today (Sorry Silicon Valley, I hope you forgive me). There was a sense of belonging, selflessness, humility, and a feeling that said “my voice is heard.”
I mean, the real shocker was when co-founder, Mustapha El Akkari, asked for my input on how we should go about reaching out to the public during the start of the great resignation. Yes, you heard me. Mustapha, a fellow Oxonian and business entrepreneurship, sales general (also a manager at Tesla) asking an amateur, content manager scrub, like me, for my input on probably one of the most important business marketing decisions during a most critical time. If that doesn’t scream out true value in leadership, I don’t know what does. He helped me exercise my train of thought in ways I’ve never done and also helped me look outside the box, WHILE making me feel good about myself. Like my voice is heard. Like, whatever the situation I was in, my opinion mattered. That is very hard to do.
Sorry imposter syndrome, not today.
Another situation was when founder, Dima El Machnouk, let me create my own analysis and opinion of coach performance and matching. I not only felt part of a bigger cause, but like the fate of the coaches’ futures was in my hands. I had that sense of duty to bring constructive criticism and effective analysis into my work. How exhilarating. But most importantly, Dima had faith in me. Shall I say, she let me “do my thang.” You heard it again folks. Dima, the CEO of Unleash and entrepreneurship wizard (and prior that, Facebook Manager), put her trust in me to effectively communicate my concerns and analysis of a coach’s future.
Still don’t hear that value of leadership screaming? Time to clean those ears, buddy.
Or, when Dima first introduced Venture Capital to me. My god, wasn’t that the process? If I could describe my experience learning Venture Capital, it’s like diving into Shakespeare after learning English. However, we made it. Huzzah! Leveling uuuuuup…I like it. Thanks to Dima, I can now draw up the courage to flip on the channel of Shark Tank and not feel so uneasy and clueless about it. AND thanks to Dima, I can now add venture capital to my arsenal of civil conversation starters. Maybe I could go up to a random stranger and say something like, “Hey, what stage is your start-up in?” Or, “Hey, what is the unique idea you're pitching for my services?” Huh, imagine that.
Throughout all the interviews, all the video-editing, all the Instagram and TikTok brainstorms (Aw man, miss my Manya), all the Excel tables needing to be analyzed and filled, all the check-ups, and all the missed lunch breaks, I can say that all of that was worth it.
Did I learn and utilize a lot of technical and cognitive skills throughout the process? Of course.
Did I make a fool of myself at moments during the process? Absolutely. Many, actually!
However, it didn’t matter. Because that’s a part of the learning process. The most important thing is how your team assists you in lifting yourself up during those moments, and my Unleash team was in no-way short of those expectations. In fact, that is where I discovered what a real team and sense of leadership is. No matter how hard you fall during the process, you know that your teammates are willing to pick you back up on your feet and give you advice on how to push forward and improve. And through perseverance, everyone on the team builds off each other to reap the benefits. Everyone does a bit of everything, so that, if a person falls, another can cover while he/she gets back on his/her feet. That is how leaders like Steph Curry and Tim Duncan managed to form two of the greatest teams in sports history. Their offenses were a well-oiled machine that consisted of players doing their specific jobs while looking after the other.
Through pure humility and professionalism, Dima and Mustapha reflected all these values as leaders and mentors. But the most important one was being open-minded to anyone’s perspective and input. It doesn’t matter which individual you’re asking - their opinions matter too. You can look at someone who is homeless and completely ignore their existence, but they may know things from their harsh life that can be shared as wise information. A king and queen are able to manage a whole kingdom, but a farmer can tend the land.
So, as I move onto my next adventure, I will carry all these values and technical skills I’ve learned throughout the process. And as I resume my actor/singer journey, I hope that I will be able to reflect these values into my position as a lead role in the Blue’s Clues National Tour, and maybe change the interpretation of team effort and leadership in the entertainment industry during the process.
And you can bet your bottom dollar that no matter where I go next, I will always keep UNLEASHING.
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