Extraordinary Outcomes: Shaping an Otherwise Unpredictable Future

7Shape Your FutureEmbrace Purpose, Engage People, Expand Possibilities

We started with a story, and we end with a story. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the Bible as the best-selling book of all time. One of the most universally familiar stories in the Bible is the account of Moses leading a nation out of bondage from Egypt. The story has endured the test of time because it is the story of an extraordinary journey to shape the future. Even though the story is thousands of years old, we can all relate it to our own odyssey because it is a story of purpose, hope, and resilience that are still part of the human experience.

The story begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, yearning for freedom. Moses rose to prominence when he started the monumental task of leading them from slavery to liberty. If we look more closely at Moses as a leader,¹ we see he had qualities that each of us can nurture and develop to create our own extraordinary outcomes. Let's step back in time and into the story.

Moses was raised in the palace of Pharaoh and enjoyed wealth and power; in short, on the surface, he had it all. Yet he wrestled with deeper questions of morality and justice. Walking amongst the slaves he saw their plight and empathized with their suffering. In one instance, at great personal risk he stopped the brutal whipping of a slave, demonstrating that he put their welfare above his own, and earning their trust.In this act of justice we already see the first signs of Moses ...