I believe that I am guided by chance encounters. I believe in the miracle of chance encounters. – Paulo Coelho

It is amazing to me, how you never know who you are going to meet or what role they may play in your life story!

Sometime earlier this year, thanks to a chance encounter, I was offered the opportunity to contribute a story to a book. While I had always hoped to write a book, I hadn’t quite gotten to planning out how or when I would make it happen. Until I was 20 something years old I kept a daily journal, but that was never meant for anyone else to read. When I sat down to write my contribution to the Success University for Women in Leadership, the story just came to me. It was about a bad leader’s influence on me, and how that experience has shaped my leadership philosophy.

My leadership journey is only just beginning, but I know that both in my volunteer and work life, I have many opportunities to lead by example. Even at home with two boys who are not my own, I am very conscious of how I behave in every situation, how I treat others and how I deal with challenges that come my way.

Today, as I look at the stack of  shiny new books on my desk and face tomorrow’s launch day, I feel rather vulnerable. I don’t know if I shared too much in my story, or whether it will resonate with our readers. My experience is unique amongst the other authors, as it starts out with a negative experience which taught me so much. Should I have written about something other than my Polish Scouting experience? Or highlighted a more positive role model in my life? So many questions come to mind.

In the end, the ink is now on paper and I can only hope that what I wrote will make a difference in at least one person’s life and make them look at their own leadership in a slightly different light.

Thank you to Catherine for believing that I had a story to share.

Thank you to all my co-authors – I am honoured to be on this journey with you.

Thank you to my friends and family for indulging me by reading my chapter and supporting the book.

I love you all!

Agatha (Agata)

P.S. Our book will be available starting November 14th, 2017 on Amazon. Search Success University for Women in Leadership to purchase and please leave feedback in the Customer Review section!