The majority of my professional life has been spent deeply invested in some aspect of leadership development. Whether it be talent strategy, succession planning, high potential development, leadership consulting or executive coaching, there has been one fixed point – developing strong, value-based leaders. It inspired the named of my coaching company, True North.
I believe in doing the right thing whenever possible. What does that mean? It means choosing kindness, honesty, and grace. It means reserving judgement, and meeting people where they’re at, with a belief in good intent. I believe in curiosity, with a thirst for learning and productive dialogue. I believe in showing up and stepping up.
Embedded in this is a core expectation that we are ALL called to be leaders. And people who step into a public leadership spotlight – more than anyone else – exhibit professionalism, view themselves as role models in both personal and professional matters, and maintain a high bar of ethical behavior.
These beliefs were formed at an early age by my family and a robust liberal arts education. I’ll never forget my dad advising me, when I was still a pre-teen, “Don’t ever do or say anything you wouldn’t want printed on the front page of the newspaper.” Words to live by. (Granted, I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing moments!)
Early in my career I had the good fortune to work with and around hundreds of professional speakers, many of whom were former political leaders, journalists, professional athletes. But it was the politicians who took my breath away. They were kind, smart, inquisitive, thoughtful. All had a deep love of people and community. They understood “the assignment” and carried the weight of that responsibility with a deeply rooted sense of responsibility. It was these leaders who inspired my love of leadership development.
In recent months I’ve been asked time and again if I feel my 25+ years of work in this space has been wasted, due to the unfiltered aggression and unprofessionalism we see aired constantly thanks to the 24/7 news cycle – most of it originating from our US politicians. And my answer to all of them is an emphatic NO. It is in moments like these that I come back to my belief that we are all called to rise up to be leaders. Of ourselves, our families, our teams, our friends, our communities. These are the moments to tap into our own core values and follow our internal compass to find our true north.
We are living in a moment. An extraordinarily challenging moment, indeed. But that’s it. A moment. And moments are fleeting. When this moment passes, we will need leaders – real leaders – more than ever before.
We will require leaders who can serve as role models for the next generation. Leaders who can restore faith in systems lacking strong, values-based leadership. Leaders who understand and appreciate the art of collaboration. Leaders who believe that courage and compassion are core competencies. Leaders who lead with integrity of intent.
I’m energized to be part of the solution to heal our future.
