Leadership and Love

For two decades, I have had the honor to lead women in building home based businesses in the Direct Sales Industry. This was not something I ever imagined I would do, but somehow, it has turned out to be an incredible platform to create what I want and be able to do what I love (mentor and inspire others as leaders and mom’s). I have always had a desire to have flexibility and a great earning potential, I found it in the work that I do, which has offered me an incredible opportunity to teach, learn, and ultimately do things on my own terms—both in my DS business and with Living HIPP.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, my corporate career included developing leadership programs from mid to upper level leaders and also creating Executive Leadership Programs at local Business Schools. In that time I also taught programs in Team Dynamics, Leadership, Facilitation & aligned these programs while immersing our positive team and corporate culture. Thirty years later, it is no surprise that this has been my area of focus, and while I love empowering women and Moms, I equally love leadership, and unleashing the emotional intelligence that is required to truly emerge as a leader. We are all leaders, and while this topic is so vast, there are certain traits and growth opportunities that help leaders develop, and in my opinion it happens in the daily practices, routines and habits of personal development, intentional living and mindset work. Leadership has to begin with you, and always be part of working on you, as you grow and develop and learn to focus on others.

I have always believed that love is a leadership strategy (and to me personally a trait and a bedrock to my leadership style and what I seek in others). I truly believe that you must genuinely care for others in order to lead them, and you need to peel off the layers of distractions, tactical things, management behaviors to uncover the emotional intelligence within. Give me someone with a caring heart and positive attitude and I will teach and train them all day long to build a business and grow as a leader. On the contrary, you might have someone who is highly capable (Type A) but lacks the EQ and positive leadership to truly thrive and impact others—earned titles yet not fully developed leaders, this is an ongoing misconception and so misunderstood in some circles. Leaders are not the top sales person, leaders are the balanced person that knows how to influence a team, and redirect them to their vision and goals, and to rise above and beyond the adversity.

At the end of the day, people just want to know that you truly care, that you put them and their needs first, and that no matter what, you have their back. There are times I have had to lead, and while I genuinely care for those on my team, I have had to either have the critical conversations and/or share something that they don’t want to hear. I do it to help them grow, to teach them a different school of thought and also to help them navigate positive leadership, and how to let go of any thoughts or activities that no longer serve them. I find some of the best leaders to be the best followers, they put their ego aside and open themselves to learning, growing and evolving, which is something I had to do myself 2 decades ago, we never stop evolving, and success is never a straight line. Leaders are learners, and in most cases it is not the tactical areas people get caught up in, it is self awareness, self growth, having a vision for your life, your business and yourself as a leader—it is in the daily work on becoming and transforming each season.

Unfortunately, people are leaders by mistake, or their business grew before they did, or perhaps they are incredibly good at the mechanics, but leadership is not a title, it is a way of being, it is a lifestyle (as in team culture), it is truly pouring in to others, even when they can do nothing for you in return. In my own life, I feel inspired to do this, and there are times I do it really well, and there are times I realize I don’t always show up (again, humanity is humility, and knowing that we are imperfect beings helps us to express compassion and empathy for others. Leaders see the power in the people, the power in unity and the power in building better (building yourself while building those around you can create the best of results, and that feel good culture on your team). I am grateful for so many lessons I have learned from others, and I believe that we learn these leadership lessons by life experience, through the example of others and also based on our own core beliefs and instincts.

On those days that I don’t know what to do or say, I just remind myself to care, to follow my heart, to put others first, and when I take the focus off myself and place it on others, that is where the magic happens.

The good news is that leaders are not born, they are made. They are made in the day to day work behind the scenes that people do not see. They are made in the ability to fall down and get back up. They are made in the adversity, and the situations where most people will quit, they don’t, they just smile with grace, hold their chin high, and understand that no matter what, the cream always rises to the top.

I observe too many base decisions, behavior and attitude on the circumstances, people go down that rabbit hole, and they lose sight of their role, the vision and leading with love. Leaders must always have a vision, and when circumstance happens (which it always does), they must hold the vision not only for themselves but also for those they lead. Distractions, circumstances and adversity will always be there, and as leaders, we must let go and say “lets go”!

On the times I lose my way, I just go back to my vision, and I also make the connection with my heart, and I think about those I am leading, and from that, I lead with love and with love, we can do anything. Put your heart in to all you do (and all you serve) and it will come back to you tenfold. XO