OLD HABITS OUT, NEW LEADERS IN!

Project Elevate’s Phase 02, Persona Stride, took place on October 5^th via Google Meet, and from the moment the session began, we were taken on an extraordinary journey into what leadership truly means.

The project began with an introduction by Rtr. Miyuni De Almeida – Professional Development Co-director, for what Elevate was and of course, for our esteemed speaker for the session, Mr. Prasanna De Almeida. Having worked as a trainer with over 20 years of experience and as a manager currently at Almarai, and with a genuine passion for Dr. Stephen Covey’s work, Mr. De Almeida expertly guided us through the session, which brought insight, energy, and a surprising amount of self-reflection.

He opened by transporting us into the world from which “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” was born,

a time when life was slower,

people were more connected, and

values like loyalty, integrity, and honesty formed the core of who you were.

The contrast to today’s hyper-digital world made his point even clearer: It’s easy to project a polished personality now, but character is what carries you when life gets real.

A much-needed reality check if you ask me

One of the standout parts of the session was the exploration of paradigm shifts. When he asked,

“What kind of glasses are you wearing when you see the world?”

It was definitely one of those moments when you felt like you needed to take a moment and truly think about it – a pause, if you will. And lucky for us, we weren’t just hearing about perspective, we were experiencing it. His message was simple but powerful:

Change is inevitable, but the hardest part is changing yourself to meet the change.

As we moved into the habits, things just went uphill from there and kept going.

Habit 1- Being proactive, wasn’t just explained. It was brought to life through stories, humour, and practical advice. From discussing the power of our responses to showing how easily our emotions can take over, he reminded us that proactivity is a skill anyone can develop. Mr. De Almeida continuously empowered us to think that the idea of keeping small commitments for 25 days felt like a challenge worth accepting, and choosing one frustrating problem to tackle from our “circle of influence” made the concept feel real and actionable.

Then came Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind, and this one sparked a moment of collective realization. When he asked whether we actually do this, the silence said everything. Most of us move through life without a clear destination in mind, and he made us see how much that affects our choices.

His reminder that everything is created twice, first in the mind, then in real life, encouraged us to think about who we want to become, not just what we want to do. And this led to teaching us the importance of building personal mission statements, so that we stay grounded and realistic.

Throughout the session, there were so many moments that made it special. The jokes about living on Mars if we weren’t keeping up, the relatable stories, the gentle nudges toward self-awareness, they made the session memorable, and it felt close to home, because which parent hasn’t stressed on it at some point in our lives, and we just continued to ignore it – well, never again.

Although time didn’t allow us to move into the third habit, the session was rich enough that no one felt it lacked anything. And the best part? He offered to return for another session to continue exploring the habits. Yes, please, and thank you.

Rtr. Suvasthiga Suveendran, the Professional Development Co-director, closed the session with warm thanks, leaving us all with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation.

Elevate lived up to its name by not just teaching us about leadership, but helping us see ourselves and our potential a little more clearly.

Penned By:

Rtr. Savini Yasanayake

Editorial Committee Member 25.26