I was fortunate enough to have one of the greatest leaders I have ever known early on in my life: my father.

 

My father was one of the most charismatic but truly authentic, genuine people I ever met.

At home, he was always there, always paying attention. If he said he was going to do something, he did it. I will never forget when we were at a big event with family, friends, and neighbors; they all came around and for some reason, everyone just surrounded my dad. What stood out for me was that he was the same exact person with them as he was at home. I watched how people gravitated to him and he made no shifts in who he was. I watched how authentic he was.

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I was used to 'friends' who were fake, teachers and close ties who were fake – yet I watched him be who he was no matter the audience (or lack thereof). I don’t even know if I realized then how important it was until I started working for a handful of organizations and bosses who were the exact opposite of my father. They relentlessly found new ways to challenge my working life - to no end. Bosses who were not genuine, organizations who reward terrible behaviors, and leaders who would be nice to the group but one-on-one they were completely different people. Not to mention the endless dog-and-pony show we were required to put on. 

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Now ask yourself, have I had similar experiences?

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Having that contrast was one of the greatest gifts ever given to me because it allowed me to realize what true leadership was (and wasn’t). So, when I got into the business safety of leadership development consulting, I assumed the role of my clients. I want my clients to feel the way I felt around my father, not how I felt with some of the previous work experiences I had. In order to do so, one of the things I do is embody and teach the leadership strategies emulated by my father, and plan to apply the lessons I have learned (always learning) to help organizations invest in their people and therefore, invest in their future. 

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I want to continue to guide organizations to create an environment of trust, authenticity, empathy, and sincerity. Organizational growth is through their people. Let's start today.