by Kelly Ketelboeter on January 7, 2011
Jen and I are part of an amazing community of thought leaders on LinkedIn and Twitter called Lead Swag. I was honored when William Powell and Georgia Feiste asked me to contribute to the Lead Swag Women’s Leadership Month along with many other inspiring women. The goal of Women’s Leadership Month is to highlight the contributions women make in leadership, recognize how women have influenced us personally or in the lives of others and the characteristics women embody in leadership today.
I am blessed to be surrounded by inspiring women AND men in my life that have all made a difference. I am forever grateful. I hope this post will remind you of the gifts in your life.
I come from a long line of strong women that weren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. My great grandmother got divorced in the early 1900s when divorce was completely taboo. She believed just because it’s the way things were didn’t mean it’s the way things had to be. My grandmother attended college at a time when a woman was “supposed” to get married and have lots of babies. She pursued her passion and had the courage to do so. My mom went to work to support our family when my dad fell ill in the 70s. My dad was Mr. Mom long before society accepted that as a role for a father. At age 27 I started my own business, when the majority of my friends were starting their families.
When I was growing up I didn’t hear the saying, “You can do whatever you want. You can be whoever you want.” Instead that mantra was modeled for me by those in my life. It wasn’t just a saying; it was a way of life. I felt empowered at a young age. I was encouraged, nurtured and challenged to do the things that brought value to my life and to the lives of those around me.
To say I have been blessed by amazing women in my life would be a gross understatement. For the women in my life have shaped me to become someone I am proud of and someone I love. From my mom, to my sisters, and sister-in-laws, to my business partner, my very best friends and the wonderful business women with whom I am honored to be connected. I lean on these women in my life and I look to them as role models that help to fuel my passions, my hopes and my dreams. I would not be the woman I am today without these glorious women in my life. Every day these women continue to help me become the best I can be as we are all a work in progress.
As I began to think about the impact each of these women have in my life I discovered each of them had similar characteristics that have shaped who I am today.
To discover the four characteristics that have made an impact in my life click here.
Thanks for stopping by!
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by Kelly Ketelboeter on June 22, 2010
It was January 2009 when I entered the world of Twitter. I was not convinced of its value, unsure how it really worked and wondered who on earth would want to follow me?! I checked out all the Twitter resources on how to contribute, how to gain followers and basic Twitter etiquette. Everyday I learned something new, connected with amazing people and began to see the value of Twitter. Of course I became a bit obsessed with reaching 100 followers and then 500 and then 1,000 and now I don’t even keep track. In the beginning I had to force myself to tweet 3 times a day. Now I am a tweeting fool. I hate missing a day on Twitter. It’s a chance to exchange information, learn from others, make new contacts and friends, yes friends.
Early on in my tweeting I followed Mike Henry Sr. What struck me about Mike was his willingness to connect, share and encourage. So when Mike started tweeting about the Lead Change Group he started on LinkedIn, I jumped at the opportunity to become part of the community dedicated to leading change. The Lead Change Group is a community of amazing people applying character-based leadership to make a positive difference. The purpose of the group resonated with me. For me, it started on Twitter, crossed over to LinkedIn and has continued to grow. The Lead Change is the most active community I am a part of. The members of the group support each other, contribute to each others success and most importantly they lead by example for character-based leadership.
I have the honor of co-hosting monthly Lead Change webinars with Mike Henry Sr. The purpose of the monthly Lead Change webinars is to showcase our members talents and their work. They share research, key note speeches, training and experiences all based on leading change. Through these calls I have met some unbelievable folks, learned so much and have a renewed hope that true leaders do exist. The monthly webinars was just the start of bringing the Lead Change community together. In February, several members of the group met in Florida for LeaderPalooza. Mike has started hosting a weekly BlogTalkRadio book review show. He has also started the Lead Change Roundtables. Of course LinkedIn is always lively with discussions, questions and news posts. This week Mike is kicking off a new BlogTalkRadio show to showcase and highlight Lead Change group members. I am thrilled to announce that I will be the first guest interview!! I hope you will join us this Thursday, June 24 at 3 pm Eastern. Get the details here.
The moral of the story, is you never know the true value of something until you try, participate and add value. If I had let my lack of knowledge and understanding for Twitter stop me from using this awesome social media tool I would have never met Mike Henry Sr. or any of the other Lead Change Group members. I would not have been afforded the opportunity to learn, contribute and share. I continue to be inspired by the Lead Change community and the group has given me way more than I have given them. While you may not see the value at the time, my advice, give it a chance, you never know what you might find. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose!
How have you used Twitter or LinkedIn to develop relationships, learn and contribute?
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