So the final piece in the YBL puzzle is a presentation to the 4 judges. It’s worth a good portion of my mark and I do want to get it right. I guess I can safely say that I’ve never been this prepared for a presentation before. Which is weird, and totally unlike me (the old me). In fact, this whole YBL thing has really changed the way I approach everything I do. Sounds cliched, but it’s true.

When I was pulling together the key points that I wanted to focus on for the judges who’ll be looking for the ‘Young Business Leader’ of the year, I realised I had a lot of learnings & growth in things that I wasn’t even aware were a part of Leadership. Because being a leader isn’t just about team building and making decisions on behalf of people and project management. It’s about relationships and planning and discipline and values and celebration and passion and authenticity. But it’s more than that too. I guess it’s hard to put your finger on, but when you meet a great leader – you absolutely know it. You can tell from speaking to those close to them, to the guys in their team, to their peers.

Man, have I learnt a lot in 10 months. I think that’s really my main point for the judges – and those of you who know me well would testify to the fact that the Amber you knew 1 year ago is nothing like the Amber you know now. And that’s not a bad thing (I don’t think I liked that other Amber anyway).

When my dad came up to me the other day and put his arm around my shouders and said ‘hey amber, y’know, it’s so good to see you happy. Your eyes are happy and you look well. I’m really proud of you’ – that moment right there was worth everything. It’s worth the extra time at my desk, worth the tired eyes, worth the mess in my spare room and the limiting social life, it’s worth the effort and the stress and the tears. Thanks Dad.

So that’s what I’m going to tell the judges on Tuesday morning. Because that’s really all I need to say.