Category Archives: Insights

Why Imagination Shapes Calling
Stories don’t just entertain children. They shape the leaders—and the nations—they will one day become.

When I visited a school in Kinshasa, DRC, my friend the school’s director from Paris, France, Gabriel OLEKO, asked me to explain leadership traits to students preparing for adulthood. Instead of a lecture, I turned to stories.

I researched what resonates with children ages 11–13 and wrote my first story—in French—about an okapi and a bonobo, two animals from the Congolese jungle who embark on adventures together. The setting mattered: many of these children only know the city, yet their country holds a rich forest filled with unique animals and cultural history worth celebrating.

These stories teach lessons about overcoming challenges, but they also introduce children to their own heritage. I’ve now written three stories, with a dozen more on the way. Each time I share them, I see imagination spark—students glimpse possibilities beyond the limits of their station in life.

Imagination is unpredictable, yet glorious. It opens doors where none seem to exist. And in doing so, it shapes not only the calling of individuals, but the destiny of nations.

What stories—whether from childhood or adulthood—have expanded your imagination and reshaped your sense of calling?

From Victor Hugo to the Psalms

Sticks and stones may break bones—but words can shape souls, for good or ill.

Even as children, we know words matter. They can wound, or they can unlock something hidden within us.

I remember the first time a teacher told me I was smart and capable of tackling difficult tasks. Until 5th grade, I was an average—often below average—student. My teacher handed me a set of math exercises and said, “Go at it and learn.” Something clicked. His words reshaped how I saw myself and what I could achieve.

Words from a trusted mentor or on pages of great literature have power that can last centuries or millennia. Victor Hugo’s line, “To love another person is to see the face of God” (Les Misérables, 1862), helped build a moral world where caring for the poor was an imperative, not optional condescension. The psalmist, thousands of years earlier, declared: “God’s steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136). Across history, words have built empires, crushed civilizations, and, more importantly, inspired movements of compassion.

As leaders, teachers, parents, and friends, our words shape the worlds around us—families, communities, organizations. Magnificence or destruction often begins with a phrase.

What words—spoken to you or read by you—have reshaped the way you see yourself or the world?

Small Decisions, Lasting Ripples
At Ajanta and Ellora in India, artisans didn’t build temples by stacking stones. They carved them out of solid rock—chip by chip—for centuries. (https://whc.unesco.org/)

When I visited the caves at Ajanta (200 BC–100 AD and 400–600 AD) and Ellora (600–1000 AD) in 2024, I was struck by the sheer audacity of the work. Craftsmen began with basalt hillsides and, using simple chisels and harder stones, carved downward from the ceiling to the floor.

The result: over 60 vast amphitheaters, intricate monasteries, murals, and statues that still stand today. The largest, Kailasha Temple, took nearly 200 years and ten generations of artisans to chisel a hill away to leave the temple and all its decoration behind.

What amazed me most was the process. Each worker removed only small chips of stone. Many never saw the final design realized. Yet their daily stewardship—faithful, patient, precise—contributed to impressive structures that endure.

Leadership often feels the same. We guide teams through projects that may take years, even decades. When everyone on the team sees the objective clearly, each small decision, each act of care, shapes the legacy we leave behind.

Magnificence requires steadfast small steps, with the ultimate design in mind.

Where have you seen everyday stewardship—small, faithful actions—create ripples that last far beyond the moment?

Why Learning French is More About Humility Than Vocabulary
Learning French has taught me something unexpected: the hardest part isn’t memorizing vocabulary—it’s learning humility.

My experience with French has been as much about acknowledging my limitations and errors as it has been about acquiring new words. It is humbling, because I’ve succeeded in many disciplines before, and I’m tempted to assume that past success will automatically carry over into this new one.

But language learning resists shortcuts. Previous success may indicate potential, yet until I actually learn French, I cannot know which skills from my past will transfer and which new ones I must develop.

This is why I see language as listening. It requires me to slow down, to admit what I don’t know, and to serve the meaning rather than my own pride. In that way, learning French is not just about vocabulary—it’s about cultivating humility, patience, and openness.

How has learning a new skill—or a new language—taught you humility and reshaped the way you listen?

Learning to Lead by Serving

Translation isn’t really about words. It’s about service.

When I translate from French to English or vice versa, there are usually several possible choices for a single word. The trick is not to pick the most “accurate” word in a word‑for‑word sense, but to choose the phrase that best conveys the original meaning. Expressions in French and English often don’t survive literal translation—so the translator must serve the listener by making the meaning accessible.

Leadership works the same way. How often do we explain something—whether to staff, colleagues, or a company—using the exact words in our own heads, only to discover that others don’t understand them? We may think our “translation” is faithful, but if the message doesn’t land, communication has broken down.

The discipline of translation teaches us that true leadership is less about asserting authority and more about making truth understandable. Leaders “translate” vision into language their people can grasp. By considering how the listener will receive and comprehend the message, we become far more effective in shaping direction and inspiring action.

I’d love to hear how language—whether in translation, teaching, or leadership—has shaped your own journey.

In French, the word “actuellement” looks like “actually.” But it doesn’t mean “actually”—it means “currently.” These “false friends” trip up learners because they look familiar, but their meaning is different.

I’ve noticed the same thing happens outside of foreign language learning. In systems engineering, for example, “stability” sounds like calm or unchanging. But in technical terms, it has a precise mathematical definition about how a system responds to disturbance. The word seems familiar, but the meaning is entirely different.

That’s where real learning begins. It’s not just about memorizing vocabulary or formulas—it’s about cultivating the humility to pause, notice, and ask: Does this really mean what I think it means?

For teachers, mentors, and leaders, the challenge is guiding learners through those moments of surprise—helping them see that “familiar” isn’t always the same as “known.”

Educators, mentors, and leaders—how do you help learners recognize when something familiar actually means something new?

Rethinking How We Learn

Whether you’re learning rocket science or French vocabulary, the challenge is surprisingly similar.

As I dive into my Master’s thesis in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Florida, I’m struck by how different this work feels from my earlier thesis in Astronautical Engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School—yet how much the learning process overlaps. Words and concepts that look familiar often carry very different meanings in new contexts. Learners assume they already know, but discovery lies in noticing the differences.

That’s where teachers—and mentors—play a vital role: guiding learners to see beyond the surface, and remembering what it felt like to be new to the field. Expertise isn’t just about knowing the answers; it’s about helping others navigate the moments when what seems familiar turns out to be something entirely new.

No matter the discipline, learning requires humility, curiosity, and the patience to see familiar concepts in a new light.

Educators, mentors, and leaders—how do you help learners notice when something familiar actually means something new?