Why I Do This
When I was in 8th grade, a teacher I barely knew volunteered me for a weeklong student leadership course.
At the time I was eating my lunch in the bathrooms many days because I was shy and felt completely out of place. I had zero idea what she saw in me, but the prospect of a week away from regular classes was too good to pass up.
It became one of the turning points of my life.
Sharing my story.
Working with others on difficult problems.
Seeing, in real time, that you could be:
quiet
eccentric
creative
hyper-analytical
...and STILL be a truly effective leader.
It honestly changed my perception of who I was.
And it's why I do the work I do today.
Because just like then, I see so many quiet leaders who refuse to own who they are in a visible, obvious, role model-type way.
They quietly support their teams—but the larger company will never hear about it.
They operate well at "safe" levels, but refuse to claim the C-suite.
They sit there and take orders from a boss, knowing darn well they could be setting strategic direction.
Instead they hide in what they know.
How to solve.
How to execute.
But not how to lead.
I believe great leaders do not—and should not—fall into a particular personality type or profile.
We need new voices.
People who care.
The doubts will always be there. I'm thirty years older, have coached thousands of leaders, and still wrestle with imposter syndrome on a daily basis.
But consider this:
Maybe the very things that have always made you feel like an outsider are exactly the perspective that's most missing right now.
Maybe that’s what my teacher saw in me all those years ago.
Something I couldn’t see yet.
If you're making a difference...
If you care more deeply than you've ever let on...
Please don't spend another decade waiting for permission to step forward and claim leadership.
We need your perspective.
We need your voice.
Now more than ever.
