RC Blog August 2024
Leading with Purpose and Positivity: Insights from Rebecca Contreras
My journey – that I’ve been honored to share with all of you these past few years since publishing Lost Girl – intertwines my personal story of overcoming profound challenges with actionable insights into leading with purpose and positivity. From my early years growing up in abject poverty and navigating a troubled youth, to advising a U.S. President and spearheading a thriving consulting firm, my life has been a testament to the power of resilience, mentorship, and transformation.
My path was not straightforward. It was woven through trials that tested my spirit, from being abandoned at the age of five by a drug-addicted mother to facing the daunting responsibilities of teenage motherhood without a formal education. Yet, here I am, decades later, having served in significant government roles and now leading AvantGarde, a company I built from the ground up, which now empowers hundreds of professionals and impacts countless organizations.
I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you not just the principles I've lived by but also how these principles can be applied in your leadership journey. Whether you are steering a startup, managing a team in a multinational corporation, or finding your footing in a non-profit, the essence of positive leadership remains the same—how to inspire, empower, and influence others not just to achieve professional success but to enhance their personal lives.
The following are lessons from my life about finding your voice, the importance of transparency, the strength in vulnerability, and the unparalleled power of leading with love and empathy. My hope is that these insights will not only guide you but also inspire you to mold your unique narrative into a leadership style that is impactful, empathetic, and profoundly transformative. I invite you to reflect on your own journey, challenges, and victories. Use them as a foundation to build not just a career or a company, but a legacy of positive impact that reverberates through the lives of those you touch.
Lesson # 1: Cultivating a Positive Leadership Style
Bullet Point: Embrace your unique leadership journey and use it to inspire and motivate your team.
Call to Action: Reflect on your personal leadership journey. Write down key milestones and share these stories in your next team meeting to enhance connection and inspiration. Also be willing to pivot along the way. I have made mistakes (and make mistakes) that when called out or recognized, I am willing to own them and pivot to be a better leader. We never stop learning or pivoting to do things better.
Lesson # 2: Empowering Your Team
Bullet Point: Like my mentor Donna, identify and nurture potential in your team members. Invest in their growth through mentoring and professional development.
Call to Action: Select at least one team member for a mentorship program this quarter. Provide resources and personal guidance to help them develop skills that align with their career goals. Spend time with them, coach them, be available to support them. We are all busy, but time is valuable and spending valuable time with your team can pay off in the long run with loyalty and commitment to your mission or vision.
Lesson # 3: Resilience in Leadership
Bullet Point: Overcome challenges with a positive and resilient mindset.
Call to Action: Identify where or what you faced that caused you to look at employing a resilience approach to life. When chaos or crisis hits, I like to evaluate change around three key lenses: 1) why did this happen (could I have done something different to avoid it) 2) what was the result of what happened (and impact) 3) what can I do next time to make it better. Even if it was outside of your control going through a process of evaluation can provide key insights to improve or level set for next time. Also share what you learn with those closest to you, use them as a sounding board for change.
Lesson # 4: Transparency and Authenticity
Bullet Point: Lead with transparency and authenticity, key traits that I have valued deeply in my rise from challenging beginnings to business success.
Call to Action: Implement an approach with your team to have what I call “Transparent Talks” where you discuss company challenges and triumphs openly with your team. And dialogue to learn from them. Team insights (especially with your leadership team) can go a long way to showing you are leading transparently and can be trusted.
Lesson # 5: Continuous Improvement and Learning
Bullet Point: Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning, recognizing that adapting and growing are key to long-term success.
Call to Action: Encourage ongoing education by providing access to online courses and training. Set aside a budget for team members to attend relevant workshops or seminars annually. Engage yourself in continuous learning by listening to a good podcast to develop a new skill. I love Jeffery Fisher’s podcast (15 min) on conflict communication. There are so many tools now online utilize new tools to grow and learn and encourage your team to do the same! They see you learning, they will embrace learning.
Lesson # 6: Practicing Empathy
Bullet Point: Understand the diverse backgrounds and challenges of your team members, much like I have acknowledged the varied experiences of those she led.
Call to Action: Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to better understand individual team members’ personal and professional needs. Take time to get into your direct reports’ world, so they know you care. It doesn’t have to be “all in,” just enough to demonstrate empathy as a leader. I also love to do check-ins with people such as “how was your vacation?”. If they are ill when they return “are you feeling better?”. Check in with them from time to time to see how they or their family are doing.
Lesson # 7: Humility in Leadership
Bullet Point: Demonstrate humility and openness to learning from others, regardless of their level within the organization.
Call to Action: Create an “Idea Box” where team members can submit suggestions for improving the company, demonstrating that every voice matters.
Lesson # 8: Positive Influence and Community Impact
Bullet Point: Use your influence to make a positive impact within and beyond your organization. I have leveraged my success to empower others, particularly women in business.
Call to Action: Launch a community service initiative that aligns with your company’s values and encourages team participation.
Lesson # 9: Creating Opportunities for Impact
Bullet Point: Identify leadership gaps and opportunities for your team to make impactful contributions, as I did throughout my career.
Call to Action: Challenge your team to identify a current gap in your industry and develop a project plan to address it.
Lesson # 10: Navigating Business Challenges with Positivity
Bullet Point: Maintain a positive outlook in the face of business challenges, drawing on how I was able to transform obstacles into steppingstones.
Call to Action: Develop a quarterly review process where you assess challenges and redefine them as opportunities for growth and innovation.
Leading with Legacy in Mind
I appreciate each and every one of you walking this path with me. Reflecting on my own journey—from a lost girl facing seemingly insurmountable barriers to a woman who has advised a president and now leads a successful consulting firm—I am reminded of the transformative power of positive leadership. It is my deepest hope that the insights shared here have not only resonated with you but will also inspire you to lead with a renewed sense of purpose and positivity.
Leading with positivity isn't just about adopting a cheerful disposition; it's about fundamentally transforming how we interact with our teams, our peers, and our communities. It's about building trust through transparency, fostering resilience, encouraging continuous growth, and leading by example. Throughout this guide, I've shared strategies that have helped me navigate both personal and professional challenges. These strategies are more than just lessons—they are testaments to what we can achieve when we lead with our hearts and minds aligned toward a greater good.
Remember, the impact of your leadership is measured not just by the success of your business but by the growth and well-being of those you lead. As you continue on your leadership journey, I encourage you to revisit these lessons often, adapt them to your evolving circumstances, and always strive to empower those around you.
If my story can serve as a beacon for your own leadership path, then I have truly succeeded in passing on the legacy of positivity that was once bestowed upon me by mentors and champions along my way. So, as you move forward, consider the legacy you wish to leave. How will you be remembered by your colleagues, your friends, and your family? How will you use your influence to create a lasting impact?
Thank you once again for allowing me to share my journey with you. Continue to lead with courage, with love, and with the unwavering belief that the right kind of leadership—a leadership that is inclusive, empathetic, and purpose-driven—can indeed change the world.
God bless you in your endeavors to create a positive ripple in this vast ocean of life. Let's keep making a difference, together.
Comentários