Bio for Anthony
Anthony D. King is the President and Founder of Associated Konsultants, which provides expert IT & Cyber Security consulting services with a genuine and personal interest in serving the customers’ needs.
Episode highlight
Anthony King’s grandmother was a pivotal influence in helping him develop into the kind of leader he is today. She told him, “No matter who you are in life and what you do, always do the right thing and try to make a difference.”
Links
Quotes
“There are two times in life when doing your best isn’t good enough. That’s when more is expected and more is needed.”
Takeaways
Childhood incidents:
Anthony’s grandmother was a primary influence in his life. She never expected anything, but spent her lifetime trying to make a difference, which drives Anthony in his decision making today.
Anthony’s father taught him how to listen and to speak when you have something of value to add. His favourite saying was, “An empty wagon makes a lot of noise.” When Anthony was a manager, he taught everyone to listen twice as much as they talk since you have two ears and one mouth.
Groups you were born into:
As an African American, Anthony discovered that the further he moved up to management, the fewer were the people of colour. He learned to be observant and to be confident with any group because he needed to. Anthony married a person who was not black, and his wife became very frustrated with people who didn’t understand race issues.
Groups you chose to belong to:
Young people are a strong influence in Anthony’s life. “I keep associating with youth so my thinking stays fresh. Young people are not aware what they can’t do, we stop thinking because we shut down about what we think we can’t do. But even from mouths of babies come words of wisdom.”
Temperament and personality influences
Although his strongest traits were patience, being mild-mannered and observant, he had to learn to be patient with others who were not as driven professionally as he was.
A time I became aware that my way of doing things was cultural and specific to my cultural experience
When Anthony was in Australia and working with a team, he found out only seven months later that the expression “I’m stuffed” in Australia had a different meaning than having eaten too much, and was in fact, offensive.
Advice to an employer to work with me
Respect the individual enough to have the freedom and latitude to work. Give people the resources they need and then get out of the way.
More great insights from our guest!
Anthony has learned to speak up and have the courage to do the right thing for himself, not just for others. Even if nothing changes as a result, he feels better about it when he speaks up.