After coming back to Slovakia from a stay in Dubai, Ivana Sendecka was astonished to see how much talent, passion and committed hard working people there were all around her in her home country. In her work as a consultant she met amazing clients and colleagues. However, she was puzzled by the shyness and low levels of confidence. She decided it was her job to inspire people. Tell them it is okay to stand out, take initiative, lead and say no to your superiors. And thus, she quit her job and set out to inspire the emerging leaders of Slovakia.
Her initiative, the Next Generation of Leaders in Slovakia movement, aims to inspire self-transformation to develop leaders for a better Slovakia. And Ivana gave it all she had. She got in touch with some of the leading thinkers of our time to learn, worked hard to build an online presence and credibility and slowly but steadily got her movement going. There was no plan. Next steps emerged along the way. There was simply a vision: getting out the talent. Help started to come in. Slovaks who offered to help, but also speakers and thought leaders from the US, who came to Slovakia for NGLS conferences. She even got a well-deserved mention in the book The Truth About Leadership.
Obviously, the NGLS movement changed Ivana’s life. Big time. But what she seems to value most, is how other people get inspired. People started their own businesses, followed their hearts and started travelling and even wrote university theses about the movement. And not only in Slovakia. She mentions proudly that in Pakistan some people and kids got so inspired, they started a similar movement there.
Making change happen can have an incredible impact on a person’s life. And it’s hard work. Ivana’s tip for emerging change makers: “Follow your gut feeling, be authentic, learn and connect with the best people, work damn hard, ignore all nay-sayers, be ready for ups and downs, tears of joy and sorrow; all of it is part of a journey for those who dare to make their dreams true.”
Ivana Sendecka makes change happen in Slovakia. And beyond.
