Corporate Equity Advocate | Global Facilitator for Stay To Lead + Talent Accelerator | Author of Dig Your Heels In, Girls &: The Ultimate Guide to Empowering A Girl In Your Life, Misunderstood Millennial Talent *MOTHER*
A Leadership Lens for 2024: "How do we move from where we ARE to where we are CALLED TO BE? " That is the very first line in Hesselbein On Leadership – Frances Hesselbein's book. I was 20 years old when I first read it as a student at the University of Pittsburgh... and I was hooked. Her words went on to say, "All the how-to’s in the world won’t work until the “how-to BE’s” are defined, embraced by the leaders. Embodied and demonstrated in every action, every communication, every leadership moment. And in the end, it is the quality and character of the leader that determines the performance, the results." Growth, transformation, change, expansion, global travel...all the things that I've experienced in 2023 (and I'm certain you have too)...may sound thrilling but are actually really uncomfortable. I haven't thought enough about how awkward that in-between phase can be when you are growing, transforming, changing, and expanding. It was really uncomfortable and unsettling which confused and startled me. Yet moving towards "where we are called to be" and focusing on the quality and character of our leadership: HOW we show up, WHO we are through our work and life versus just what we DO is most important. And that's the lens I want to use in HOW I show up through my work and in my life. As heartbreaking as it has been this past year to know Frances is no longer with us, I am starting to embrace the reality of how truly timeless and urgent her advice is for this modern world and its extraordinary expectations. When my daughters ask questions about Frances when they see her photo in my office, it's an opportunity to share stories and lessons. When friends of Frances (so so many of you) are constantly inspiring me with your reflections about how she shaped your journey, I'm comforted to be reminded how she connected us all to one another. Wishing everyone good health, strength in character, peace, more joy this year ahead and a reminder to lean on the wisdom of great leaders like Frances for work and life. Link to my speech is here: https://lnkd.in/dwSZnZCR Link to my article in Leader To Leader is here: https://lnkd.in/dzBsTaHD
