Margaret Spence - Leadership Self-Transformation: 52 Career-Defining Questions Every High-Achieving Woman Must Answer

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Copyright 2017 Margaret Spence

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written permission of the publisher or author except where permitted by law.

Published by
DCRC Training Group Press
P O Box 211835
West Palm Beach, FL 33421
www.EmployeetoCEOProject.com

ISBN: 978-0-9789407-3-7 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-9789407-4-4 (eBook)

1. Self-help 2. Personal Transformation 3. Women & Business

First Edition

Cover Design: Alexander Stephen - AZAK: 99Designs.com

Interior Design: Saravanan Ponnaiyan - Digiprezz Media Solutions

Editor: Linda Alila

This book is dedicated
to every woman who crossed my path
and helped co-create the fifty-two questions
and resources to empower you to work
on your career, while you work in your career.
Your future is entirely in your hands.

What's getting in the way of having the career you want?

INTRODUCTION: THE FEARLESS INNER WORK

This book is written for every woman who was told by her parents that education was the ticket up the ladder and success was the only option, but arrived in the workforce to be told that you're not good enough to lead the team. The frustration of playing by the rules and not achieving parity can be overwhelming and even downright depressing. The internal pressure to show success by obtaining meaningful roles within the organizations where we work often leaves us disillusioned with the process of leadership advancement.

In the quest for leadership roles, we recognize that few are chosen and even fewer advance.

We take a different approach to developing women leaders: we are not going to focus on the numbers and we are not going to focus on how to be a leader, there's tons of whitepapers, books and organizations that do this quite well. We are instead going to focus on youthe aspiring leader and the baggage that's preventing you from moving from the employee desk into C-Suite leadership.

It's easy to say, "I want to be a leader; I want to be in the C-Suite." The action steps necessary to achieve that goal require clarity and focus. You cannot lead until you get clear about yourself. So, in this book we will ask you fifty-two questions to clarify your leadership aspirations like, "When did you know that you were unique?" "What is your value proposition?" "Can you commit?" "Are you valued?" "Who is the master of your career?" "Do you accept your success?" Each of these questions will hit at your core values and your personal choices. As women, we have to shed our historic baggage in order to find our authentic voice.

Sometimes when you are stuck in the career cycle, you can't see your potential beyond the employee desk. Throughout my career, I've had great success and dismal failures; each life lesson prepared me for where I am right now. Along the way, I learned that if I asked myself the right questions, the correct answer would manifest itself. What I've also learned is that if I don't clarify what I want, no one will be able to help me succeed.

As an aspiring executive, you must ask yourself tough career questions and be bold enough to hear your answers. You must also be reminded that Human Resources is not there to help you navigate your career. You have to define your aspiration, solidify your career goals, and clearly articulate your action plan. You must be willing to release your voice.

The fifty-two questions in the following pages are provocative. They offer valuable lessons; they sometimes jar you into reality. They will test your resolve and they will focus your intention. Each question has a quotation from some of the world's greatest thinkers, business leaders, and spiritual mindsthere is no fixed itinerary or agenda. Sometimes you may not be ready for the questions, and that is okay.

Never feel that you have to contemplate something that you are not ready to hear; move on and come back at another time.

The late actress Pearl Bailey once said, "You will never find yourself until you face the truth." This book is here to help you affirm what you want, write your leadership story, and own your journey.

How to use this book

The fifty-two questions can be viewed in four silosDiscover, Unpack, Specify and Transforminto the leader you want to become. The concept is called D.U.S.T.Dust yourself off and go get what you want. Imagine yourself falling down on a dusty, sandy field; the first thing you do is jump up, brush off the dust or sand, and check to make sure nothing is broken. You keep moving forward, unshakable in your vision and focused on your mission.

Discover who you are

Unpack your insecurities

Specify what you want

Transform into the leader you want to become

We would like to ask you to view the questions through these four silos, each one interconnecting and overlapping with each other, by going deeper and asking:

What did you discover about yourself?

What do you need to let go of? What is getting in the way of having the career you want?

What do you really want? What area of your career are you most motivated to improve?

What will you do to move your career forward?

Finally, I would like you to ask yourself: what else? What else do you want? What else do you need? What else can you do to embrace your leadership vision? What else do you want from your life and your career?

This Book Contains Several Book Bonus Links to Enhance Your Reading:

Ignite Your Career Create a New Vision Blueprint and The Leadership Self-Transformation Challenge can be downloaded from our website:

http://bit.ly/LeadBook52

Remember, there are no right or wrong answersthese questions are based on your vision, for your future. As you go through this book, imagine that you are working with a career coach, and he or she is asking you the questions in this book, challenging you to dig deeper and answer them so you can move your career forward. It is my intent to help you see your greatness and build the career you want. That is the true meaning of self-transformation: being able to coach yourself to see your vision. Instead of looking up from the ground floor, you want to look far and wide from the hundredth floor.

Life gives us many options to see where you are headed. We can look at the future from the present, or we can look in the rearview mirror regretting the past. The decisions you make today will undoubtedly affect your tomorrow. I want to challenge you to get clear about today, so your tomorrow will be what you truly want. Know your intent, create your vision, and build a solid action plan. Let's get started.

The decisions you make today will
undoubtedly affect your tomorrow.
I want to challenge you to get clear
about today, so your tomorrow will
be what you truly want.