Your willingness to step up, challenge the status quo, and be a change catalyst within your community, firm, and even your family, based on your principles and values is what may make the biggest difference and have the most impact.

Being a change-maker means acknowledging your inner stress and acting despite the self-doubt that accompanies the risk of saying the right thing. As uncomfortable as that may be, that’s what real leaders do.

Self-awareness and self-regulation are vital

Evaluate your motives and intentions before you speak. Ensure that what you say and do is grounded in your deepest passions and beliefs around justice, truth and fairness. Do your actions reflect your core values and beliefs? It’s less about how you start the process, which can sometimes be bumpy, and all about how you finish. Was your effort worth the outcome achieved? Sometimes the results are immediate and sometimes only time will tell. One thing is certain, if you wait for someone else to act, nothing may change.

It’s your faith in what and who you believe in that can make all the difference when you step up and step out.

This blog was inspired by a letter of appreciation I recently received from one of my mentees. She shared how my encouragement, support and challenges lead to her stepping up and acting during the pandemic and BLM crisis. That was very rewarding for me to hear.