From an early age I always had a desire to lead but not always for the right reasons.
In my first job out of college, I was selected to enter an intense management training program with a large retailer. While I learned many technical aspects of leading, I quickly realized that it was the social and emotional skills of leadership that I failed to appreciate and develop. It wasn’t until half of my team quit over my first six months as a newly minted manager that I realized that to be an effective leader was not about your title.
From that moment on, I became a learner of leadership and am proud to say that I remain one today, as well.
My passion and obsession with leading others has led me to explore many different disciplines that impact one’s ability to lead. They include, but are not limited to, research in emotional intelligence, influence, personality, habit formation, mindfulness, conflict management, coaching, performance management, neuroplasticity, and goal setting.
While I have held positions in management, leadership and training, I believe the most impactful position I held was that of a follower, meaning that I reported to someone but had no one that reported to me. This was the last outside position I would hold and was the inspiration to starting Emery Leadership Group. During this time, I saw the direct impact of how poor behaviors from a person in authority could create disengagement, stress and disfunction on a team. I witnessed the incredible waste of human talent as a result of a leader’s bad behaviors.
I knew it was my mission to take all the experiences and knowledge I had acquired to help individuals, teams and organizations identify and develop the skills and behaviors so they could Rise Above Their Best. That is the mission of The C.A.B.L.E.S. Leadership Academy.
I am accredited to deliver a variety of effective assessments for both individual and group development.