By Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
An Invitation
Mindfully and purposefully leading your life from the best part of you takes intention. Pressures and stressors at home and work present themselves regularly. There are days (weeks? months?) where everyone else and everything else gets your energy first. You look around and see how you are navigating leadership may not be having the desired impact on you and those around you.
It’s time you had proven success strategies that you can turn to for support at any time – daily, in the moment, or for longer stretches of time where concentrated effort is called for to boost your own impact and well-being. We invite you to explore a new book that offers just that.
Introducing Arrive and Thrive
There is a big difference –especially for women leaders – between being in a position of leadership and thriving in a position of leadership. In Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership my co-authors Janet Foutty and Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten and I offer seven actionable practices you can use to pave a smooth path to success and do so from the best part of you. Here’s a bit more about us and about the intent of each of the 7 practices.
Your Author Trio; Your Fellow Travelers
Janet, Lynn, and I are women leaders from very different worlds. Janet is a powerful C-Suite executive. Lynn is a respected university president and academic researcher. I am an author, speaker, and advisor on empathy-first and inclusive leadership. We are proud mothers, hardworking leaders, and committed to living a life of service and meaning. We also believe that we have learned a thing or two in our own leadership journeys that can help you thrive when you arrive.
We don’t stop there. We also draw on the wisdom of leaders at many of today’s biggest and most successful organizations. Our aim is to offer a “user guide” to thriving in leadership. We want women to have something new, something practical, something actionable – that refreshes a commitment to and offers support for leading a journey of significance.
7 Gifts – 7 Practices
The intention of each of the 7 Impactful Practices is to offer the gift of practical wisdom—the inspiration you might need, when you need it most—on your leadership journey.
Practice #1: Investing in Your Best Self
Know who you are at your best and how to lead your life from that place as often as you can. Knowing, living, and returning to your best (optimum, most grounded) self will increase your overall sense of well-being and inspire others.
Practice # 2: Embracing Authenticity
Be…you; encourage honesty from yourself about who you really are and help others do it, too. Being free to be authentic will save you all that energy spent on trying to be what you think others want you to be. Model what real is so others can be who they really are, too.
Practice #3: Cultivating Courage
Believe in yourself and believe in others. Acting courageously does not mean you won’t feel fear. It means you take risks knowing no matter what you will be OK. Ignite others to step out of their comfort zone and do great things they think they can’t do.
Practice #4: Fostering Resilience
Trust your own comeback and share your resilience stories. Rebounding from setback returns you not to who you were before, but to a wiser you. As appropriate, talk about your life setbacks and how you overcame them so others can see they too can rise up to new heights. You are more resilient than you realize.
Practice #5: Inspiring a Bold Vision
Make visioning part of how you lead. Where is there opportunity for innovation and improvement? What will it take? Ask, talk, ideate, and communicate about the future you wish to create. Encourage focus on visioning for others in your organization.
Practice #6: Creating a Healthy Team Environment
Be intentional about fostering safety, belonging, and teamwork. Understand the strengths of others, make mistake-making a learning opportunity, make time to appreciate others on your team, and ask for input. Hold each other accountable.
Practice #7: Committing to the Work of an Inclusive Leader
Consciously include or you run the risk of unconsciously excluding. Be a model for growth and understanding; continually engage in genuine learning conversations at all levels of the organization about barriers and enablers of equity and inclusion. For this practice, enjoy my Better Understanding Podcast and The Inclusive Leader’s Playbook, co-authored by colleague Elisa van Dam.
Next up:
Join Janet, Lynn, and me as we share more about these practices and how they have impacted our life and leadership journey. Be on the lookout for Janet’s blog on Cultivating Courage and Lynn’s blog on Fostering Resilience. Please also join our author trio as we celebrate the official book launch at the Simmons Leadership Conference, “Cultivating Courage & Connection” featuring Simone Biles, Amanda Gorman, and Brené Brown. April 13.
This article was previously published on LinkedIn on February 16, 2022, as part of a LinkedIn series in conjunction with Deloitte Executive Chair Janet Foutty, Simmons University’s Susan MacKenty Brady, and Simmons University President Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten highlighting essential practices for thriving in leadership. It is based on our upcoming book Arrive and Thrive, 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership. Pre-order your book today and join the Arrive and Thrive Movement! Stay tuned!
