It took me 13 years to work my way from volunteer to CEO of a multi-million $ company. Here are 13 leadership lessons I learned along the way:
🔹 Co-creation Inspire people with your vision, then give them the tools to create it. No one knows more about the operation than the people on the ground, empower them.
🔹 Care with your whole heart Leadership is about sharing a journey with people. If you don’t care and just see it as a job, then you are just a manager, not a leader.
🔹 Humility No matter your position, there’s always room for growth. Climbing the job ladder isn’t a green light to inflate your ego.
🔹 Relationships Never underestimate the value of relationships. Building strong connections is a leader’s best investment in success.
🔹 Take ownership Everything is a leadership problem. Own everything in your world, don’t hide behind excuses. Leaders who admit their mistakes build trust.
🔹 Listen to your intuition Your gut is more reliable than your brain. When a situation doesn’t feel right, or you worry about a member of your team, trust that feeling.
🔹 Be aware of your gaps You’ve got to know your strengths and weaknesses. Build your team to supplement your personality to ensure the mission gets accomplished.
🔹 Trust is the foundation When people have faith in you they’ll follow you. Trust can be fragile, but it can also be freeing. It allows everyone to bring their whole self to their roles.
🔹 A leader and a follower We think a leader needs to have all the answers. Your team should be better at their jobs than you could ever be. Listen and learn from their expertise.
🔹 Building the right culture Policies and procedures don’t help your business thrive. Build the right culture to support the mission and you’ll create trust and the willingness to go the extra mile.
🔹 Be comfortable with conflict We all shy away from having difficult conversations. Progress is forged through conflict and pressure. Learn to foster a healthy discourse in your teams.
🔹 Reputation matters, not titles We’ve been conditioned to chase titles to validate ourselves. Don’t get hung up adding letters before or after your name. Instead, listen and learn from how people talk about you.
🔹 Forging your best self in service to others Leadership starts with leading yourself. Great leaders seek to improve themselves physically, mentally and emotionally daily. Because when you’re at your best, you can give your team your best.
13 Leadership Lessons Trust Intuition Humility Co-creation Relationships Take ownership Reputation matters Be aware of your gaps A leader and a follower Building the right culture Care with your whole heart Be comfortable with conflict Forging your best self in service to others
