If you’ve ever watched Wicked, you know Elphaba’s moment of defying gravity isn’t just about flying—it’s about breaking free from the limits placed on her. For so many of us, the ceilings we hit are real—glass ceilings of gender bias, inequities, and lack of access to opportunities. But what about the other ceilings? The invisible ones built from stories we’ve been conditioned to believe?

When we lack leadership/executive presence, especially when giving a speech, participating in a debate, or leading a team, the cost is high.  Our posture, visibility, and energetics play a pivotal role in how we are perceived and how effectively we lead.

We can wield our power like a hammer or like a light bulb. We get to choose. If power is employed not as a hammer, but as a light bulb, the ability to influence, inspire, and create positive change is more evident.

Empathy can transform your leadership approach, making it more inclusive, adaptive, and impactful. It's about leveraging that emotional intelligence to not just achieve goals but to enrich and uplift those around you.

By embracing our role as perpetual students of life, we open ourselves up to limitless possibilities for learning and growth. It takes humility and self-awareness to admit that there is always room for improvement.

Leading unapologetically means embracing your authentic self and fearlessly stepping into your role as a leader. It means owning your strengths, weakness and unique perspectives without feeling the need to conform or apologize for who you are.

Authenticity is at the heart of every powerful, impactful, and influential leader. As an aspiring leader, the fastest path to crafting a brand reputation that is aligned with the best of what you have to offer is simply being authentic. Only when your actions and words are congruent with your beliefs and values and you are showing up fully as yourself, are you leading authentically. It is your differentiator, your secret sauce.

Many newbies think personal branding is all about their social media presence and website design. While these are certainly important aspects of your marketing and branding, the heart of your personal brand is about you—your entire persona. It includes your personality, strengths, values, beliefs, experiences, and your own image. Here are six personal branding checkpoints.

As we all cope with the uncertainty of living during a global pandemic, this trait of resilience is going to separate those of us that emerge on the other side intact and those who succumb to its associated challenges. The people who make it in life have resilience. So how do you cultivate resilience? You find a way, following these four steps.

Humility is not typically thought as a strength, and certainly not a core leadership attribute. But a closer examination of trailblazing leaders of our time highlights that they all possessed the quiet trait of humility, and argues that this trait is what helped them to achieve their success.