Becoming Your Own Leading Lady:  Reflections on Personal Leadership

By Katie C. Kelley

This book is for the woman who yearns to be her own leading lady.  Some leading ladies are already living life on their own terms and are inspired by a belief that only they can truly leave behind their own unique legacy.  This type of lady can feel responsible to pay forward all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon her through her relationships and experiences and believe that there is no one else that embodies her particular vision.  This responsibility, while awesome in its midst can also become very overwhelming over time, as women devote so much of their energies as caretakers and tactically focused in their day-to-day life.  There are also some leading ladies who have yet to pinpoint their vision and intentions for their life, and will appreciate the chance to use this book as a way to get in touch with these foundational steps in building toward their inspired life.

The genesis of this book evolved through my experience working as a leadership coach with women in business. I created the assessment based on themes that I continually noted that were both serving to move these women along in their journey as well as stagnate and dilute their potential.  I will add that selfishly, I also have been personally motivated to finally put this book into motion for my own well being. I juggle the hats of a highly motivated professional with big dreams, mother to two very young daughters, and wife to name a few and am no further along in the process of striking the proverbial balance than anyone else.  My dear friend and business partner, Cindy explains to me that rather than ever finding a balance in it all, to think of life as walking along a tightrope and working to make sure I don’t lean over too far too one side so that I fall into just one part of my life.

This book is the first in a series of three that will span my business modules: Personal Leadership, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Business Leadership.  This first ‘Personal Leadership’ book will cover the core foundation from which our personal initiatives and global outlook are established.  Look upon it as a journey to revisit parts of yourself that you may be taking for granted or perhaps parts of you that are so ingrained that you forgot that are actually malleable and can be ‘tuned’ up.  Our personal foundation encompasses the dynamics of our earliest relationships, our cultural practices and the orientation we have towards the world and ourselves.  The beautiful aspect of life is that we never stop growing and that there will always be an opportunity to begin again, to be re-birthed as well as a chance to re-affirm who we are to ourselves and want we want from this life and what we want to put forth into it.

Let’s begin…

 Part One:  Take Your Own “Leading Lady Personal Leadership Assessment”

Part Two: The Four Cornerstones of Your Personal Foundation

1) ENDURING VISION + DRIVE + INSPIRATION=DREAMS IN MOTION

Narrative:  We will begin by exploring the bedrock from which your value system and your relationships were born.  We will take an inventory to determine if what matter to you the most is showing up in your life.  We will work towards designing a plan so that your intentions are being actively sought after, rather than merely yearned for.  We’ll explore the power of setting one’s aspirations far beyond reach, all the while keeping your eyes on your prize, your ultimate intention.  If you are not feeling so inspired, this should get your fires burning!

Section One Takeaway:

• Identity of your  values and talents and where they are showing up in your life
• An opportunity to ponder your most desired life, at home and work
• An understanding of the power of setting stretch goals
• A chance to re-engage with your divine inspiration

2) SELF-WORTH + ROLE DISOBEDIENCE + POSITIVITY=SUCCESS ROCKET FUEL

Narrative:  We will journey into your single most important relationship, that with yourself. The regard with which you view yourself has the greatest impact on the way that you then look out onto the world and others and in turn their reaction to us.  A review of the data on positivity will highlight the value of self-fulfilling prophesies and clarify the significance of maintaining a steadfast sunny disposition as a success tactic.  We’ll exercise the power of self-expression in an effort to explore the ways that you might be limiting yourself.  Finally, we will journey from our most internal core to the external self to investigate how our image impacts our outside world and whether that is aligned with our intentions.

Section Two Takeaways:

• Insights around how your self perception impacts the way you view the world
• Awareness around your resilience and how you navigate challenges
• A gage on your positivity and how that effects your initiative taking
• Appreciation of the value of expressing yourself
• Clarity around how rules and roles are influencing your modus operandi
• Consideration of the impact that your presentation has on the world

3)  FLEXIBILITY + FOCUS + STRENGTH BASED LIVING= 1 ON TASK & BLISSED OUT CHICK

Narrative:  This third section delves into the evolution of how our values and self-image impact our lifestyle and quality of self-care.  This is a critical piece for leading ladies who wear many hats and need to ‘show up’ in various capacities throughout the day, often giving much more than receiving.  Timing is everything so we will investigate how cued in you are to optimize windows of opportunity versus saying ‘yes’ to every invitation.  These particular reflections can never be overstated for leading ladies, as preservation is everything.  Our ultimate intention is sustainability.

Section Three Takeaways:

• Inventory of your overall self-care regimen
• Recognition of your priorities and whether you are honoring those with time and space
• Awakening to your flexibility and alertness to action
• A self-prescribed barometer test to determine stress levels

4) PEERS + EXPERTS + MENTORS= MANDATORY DREAM TEAM

Narrative:  Not only is it lonely at the top, it’s frankly not as fun. We all need our own villages to support us, hold us accountable and cheer us on when the going gets rocky.  We will explore your current network and outline the various roles that need to be filled so that you are surrounded with an army of followers, leaders and comrades.

Section 4 Takeaways:

• Inventory of current support network
• Tips for identifying and contracting peers, experts and mentors
• Plan for developing a personal advisory board