Overcoming Insecurity, Developing Leaders, and Creating Opportunities
Some people confuse opportunity with opportunism. Although the words sound similar, their meanings are polar opposites. While opportunism stems from selfishness and short-term thinking, opportunity is the fruit of preparation and value creation.
Both in leadership and in personal life, I encounter people who fit into these two profiles. On one side, there are those who exploit situations just to climb another step on the ladder — not because they are looking for a genuine space to grow, but because of the comfort of a shortcut and the greed for temporary advantage. I have seen people play dirty just to reach that long-sought “spot in the sun.”
Frankly, this saddens me. People unprepared and ill-equipped for the roles they occupy, using and abusing power without the maturity required to exercise it.
On the other hand, I have also seen people who do not feel qualified to step into certain positions simply due to a lack of self-confidence. This saddens me just as much: highly qualified individuals who could make an enormous difference in society and the world, but who grew up in environments that never recognized their true worth.
Perhaps being born and raised in the so-called “Santa & Bela Catarina” was one of the greatest privileges of my life. Opportunities were countless and certainly served as a strong pillar to build my foundation and fuel my growth, both personally and professionally.
As for culture, I grew up surrounded by descendants of Portuguese and Italian immigrants. Anyone who visits my homeland falls in love with the landscape stretching from the mountains to the sea, contrasting the beauty of canyons with breathtaking beaches. It is fascinating how both cultures blend together — so much so that it took me a long time to realize that when my people seemed to speak “wrong,” they were actually just fusing their vocabularies.
I loved visiting my friends of Italian descent. The table was always overflowing with traditional dishes, and polenta was an absolute must. It was served alongside homemade cheese that made your mouth water just watching the nonna slice it.
Life has taught me a valuable lesson since then: opportunities often arise in simple yet profound moments. Many people hold both the knife and the cheese in their hands, but they don’t know how to slice it or were never encouraged to do so.
Sitting back and waiting for an opportunity to fall from the sky is like waiting for someone else to cut the cheese for you. That moment might never come. Doing so can also rob us of a promising future. If we don’t take the initiative, someone else will step up and do it in our place while we merely watch time slip away.
As the popular Brazilian expression goes, “holding both the cheese and the knife in hand” shows that the opportunity and the power to control the process are already within our reach. Yet, in my journey of developing leaders, I notice something profound: often, the biggest obstacle isn’t a lack of opportunity or motivation, but a lack of self-confidence.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen people underestimate their own abilities when facing new challenges. All it took was someone believing in them and giving them space to reveal a hidden potential that astonished even themselves. The true power of leadership lies in helping others see the knife and cheese they are already holding — and encouraging them to make the first cut.
The opportunist might reach the top quickly by taking shortcuts, but their fall is inevitable because the foundation is fragile. On the other hand, those who prepare build solid, lasting authority.
The question remains: are you looking for a temporary shortcut, or are you ready to cut the cheese, transform into your best version, and positively impact the world around you?
