Empowered to lead? That’s the phrase that ran through my mind as I read this book by Jill Ratliff. She has it all together, and then I realized she really didn’t. She’d pulled it all together, just like she’s teaching others to do through sharing her story, and her methods. I found her story to be profoundly honest and vulnerable. But aren’t we all vulnerable in that moment when we realize our mortality?
The obvious thought of “what am I going to leave” or “what is my legacy” becomes our foundation for change. Ratliff pushed through the pain of recognizing mortality and became a leader. She found the strength to overcome the struggles and keep working. And she teaches those strategies for others to follow.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-through-Trust-Collaboration-Results-Driven-ebook/dp/B07TN37MK4
It’s impressive that so many have had the privilege of working with Ratliff, reading her book, and following her speaking opportunities. She obviously has some serious leadership skills, and the ability to use her own skills to mentor others and teach others how to find a network of people to trust and collaborate with is huge.
The constant reminder in the book to keep it simple resounds with what I know about finding a coach or mentor and learning from these the importance of pushing through the struggles to find the dream. One step at a time, and don’t try to do more than you can do. Confidence building is a good step toward finding the power to grow stronger and become that effective leader.
When Ratliff suggested finding something bigger than ourselves to connect with, I was reminded of the fundamental need to have faith. She set my heart aflutter when she mentioned Seth Godin, my personal “marketing genius” and referred to him so deftly in her message. His simple one word blog posts have inspired me for literally years!
Throughout the book, I was reminded of Ryder Erickson’s quote that “We often overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can do in a decade.” Ratliff shares the process of creating energy, energy that already exists, through faith and growth. Her depiction of change by choice –means deciding to make a difference in your surroundings. This versus change by force, where you’re forced into a situation that you don’t choose. One is a bit easier than the other, but neither one is easy.
Her sharing of the steps to build a natural rebound system were helpful. I believe these essential principles work together with the determination to move past the struggles into modes of goal setting success and often the redevelopment of personal potential. I appreciated the quick read size of the book, because it really gets to the point without trying to teach me how to rethink, Ratliff says what needs to be said and moves on to the next topic. With busy schedules, we often don’t have time to reiterate every single item in our life multiple times. Sometimes, we just need an author who will get to the point and say what really needs to be said!
by Kendall Townsend, posted by Garth Thomas