A perspective on positive leading

In my role at the Lynchburg Regional Chamber, I have the privilege of overseeing Leadership Lynchburg, a nine-month community leadership program for executives, nonprofit leaders and everyday citizens looking to grow their leadership skills.

To my initial surprise, I soon realized that this role was much more than planning meals, lining up guest speakers and handling logistics. Participants began to ask me questions about my career path and professional perspective. Soon, I realized that everything I did or shared could end up being in the spotlight of influential, emerging leaders in our region.

It was daunting at first, but I allowed myself to be vulnerable and share the mistakes I had made, the lessons I had learned. I found this freeing for me personally, and I noticed that it helped foster a safe environment for participants to do the same. In speaking with these participants as well as other rising stars in the business community, two important facets to positive leadership became, to my mind, ever more evident. While they may have little to do with what we learned in business school or the boardroom, they are as an enriching to the professional who undertakes them as they are to her colleagues and broader community.

Grow self: One of the graduates of Leadership Lynchburg and I became friends upon his graduation. We shared the same sense of humor and advised and encouraged each other from time to time. Over the years, this friendship enabled us to point out to one another the areas in which we needed to grow. Because of this, we have now started a mentoring group consisting of five people from different walks of life who meet every other week. We have each set yearly personal and professional goals and we hold each other accountable. Each meeting we share. The members of the group provide insight and encouragement along the way. This process has brought piercing clarity to each of our lives.

Share self: A young professional who works at a local university called me and asked me if we could meet. She was referred to me by an acquaintance. I wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to meet about but I knew I was willing to make time in my schedule. As we chatted over lattes, she asked me to talk to her about my journey. I sensed that she was at a turning point in her life, so I began to share. Anything and everything that I felt needed to be said, I shared. I shared about my mission work in Africa, the professional mistakes I had made in my short career, the things I was learning at the present moment.

Before long, the young lady began to cry. As it turns out, the mistakes and struggles I had experienced earlier in my career were the same she was struggling with now. I was able to help her see that smart decisions and the right attitude can get you through any tough situation—I survived, after all. By sharing, I was also able to reflect back over my life and appreciate, anew, the challenges I had overcome. We sometimes don't take the time to think about where we've come from.

I saw this young lady again a few weeks ago. She told me that because of what I shared, she gained the perspective she needed to tackle tough decisions with greater confidence. Our discussion, she told me, would help her get to where she needed to be, both personally and professionally. We set up a time to continue the discussion. I know I have gained an ally in the business community, and we can never have too few of those. But more importantly, it was rewarding to see my mistakes and struggles serve as fodder for another bright career.

(Christine Kennedy is the executive vice president of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.)