From the Desk of Debbra Sweet, founder of Thrive Right Consulting:
Growing up, it seemed that leadership was placed upon me at a very young age. It appeared in my home life, at school, in my responsibilities with our family business and then later throughout all the different companies I
worked for.
As I was growing, there were periods in my life where I rebelled against the leadership situations. I would get frustrated with people around me because I often heard statements like “Let’s have Debbra do it…”, ” Debbra can do it, she’s good at this”.
From a child’s perspective:
What I interpreted from those statements I heard was “I don’t want to do this… Debbra will get it done” or “We don’t have to do it… we can just sit on the sidelines because we know Debbra will step up and take care of it’.
As an adult:
I never intentionally sought out ‘titles of leadership’. Leadership roles were always just placed upon my shoulders. Having worked with some of the worlds’ best transformational thought leaders, I now understand that leadership roles, situations and opportunities kept ‘showing up in my life’ because it is something I am good at. I get it. There are many aspects to being a great leader and God has blessed me with the patience, the heart, the skill sets and the desire to help others become fulfilled in their life by leading, teaching, training and guiding on how to make better choices for becoming a better leader.
Over the years I have refined my leadership skills and style. I still do. I practice daily what I teach. This ever refining foundation of leadership serves others in business, personal and civic organizations across the country.
Personally, I believe there is a severe lack of leadership skills prevalent in society and in the world today. It starts the individual, which effects the family unit, our work life and is in all aspects of how we live. You see evidence of lack of good leadership on a grand scale and how it influences everything – starting with government, trickling down to the states and then the local communities . This lack of quality leadership is the cause of most strife and unrest in the world and individuals today.
As leaders are growing ever weaker in their leadership skills, the youth of today grow up to be weak in leadership skills too. They are not learning how to discern with wisdom. They are not being taught soft skills needed to be effective communicators and active participants in their own life. Too many people who ‘sit on the sidelines to wait for others to fix things’ s’ feeds the victim mentality. It weakens individuals, communities and society as a whole. Lack of heart felt, yet effective leadership, has an ever downward spiraling impact on the way government, communities, businesses operate and how adults raise their children. The cycle is viscous.
Instead of complaining about the way things are, I made a choice.
I chose to embrace the calling placed before me for many decades. I have made a choice and decided to do something about it.
Today, I lead, teach, mentor, speak and write on the subject of leadership. It is integral in my business, my life, my personal mission and my life’s passion. It is the core of all you will see here at Thrive Right Consulting. It is one of the main cornerstones in all I do.
Through all you discover on this site; the classes, workshops, bootcamps and private consulting, I will work with you in a way that is respectful, humble. I will share with you insights, knowledge and experiences to help you lead better in your life and business.
In my blog, the books I write, the radio show I host, the ministry I support and evidenced in my daily walk, I do my best to remain humble, be open to coaching, and I strive to raise the bar of learning and growth potential for those I lead. When we work together, if you ever see me not acting with respect or humility, let me know. An overconfident, self serving ego has no place in real leadership. (Please do not misinterpret my genuine desire for your success, my championing approach I take to help you grow, stretch and achieve your goals- as being egocentric. There is a distinct difference between egotism and a healthy push to stretch ourselves.)
My leadership style is direct, respectful, compassionate, and very results driven. To speak about and around the subject of leadership is one thing. To walk with the essence and integrity in what you teach in the way of ‘being a leader’ and ‘leadership’ is another.
My platform for leadership is based upon ethics, moral integrity, clear communication and authenticity.
Not everybody likes my style. Many people do not like the “A” word: Accountability. When we work together, I will hold you accountable to working towards the goals you set for yourself. Many people say they want to have results, but they are not willing to become humble and commit to the growth, learning, adjustments and actions it takes to follow through and achieve. Thrive Right Clients want accountability. They want to achieve their goals. They are willing to take steps, one day at a time, to follow through.
Other people love my style. They know my desire for their success is genuine. Do I become a bit too vested in your success? Maybe. Should I change this? Some would say yes. I say no. Here’s why: when is the last time you truly ever had a real advocate on your side? That person who gives you straight talk, good feedback from an objective, non judgmental point of view? What would the value to you be to have a person like that in your life?
How you view me does not effect the way I will support you. I do not need you to like everything we do when working together. I just need you to be committed to Your growth, Your vision, Your actions to achieve Your success.
Leadership is not always clean or pretty. It’s not always easy or comfortable. However, for those seeking increase in results in their business leadership or personal leadership skills or styles, know that together, the seed for change in the results in leadership starts with you.
The type of Leader is I am is an ACTION LEADER.
I practice daily Action Leadership. Action Leaders are results driven. They incorporate different modalities of leadership. For me, as you get to know me, you will see elements of Transformational Leadership, Holistic Leadership (meaning having balance and vitality in health, work, personal life, spiritual life, financial life, etc), Situational Leadership and Living Legacy Leadership.
As you spend time on the Thrive Right website, be sure to book mark it.
There are many classes, workshops and subject matter that you will discover (over time) that we teach and train on. If you have a specific subject matter you wish to learn about, let us know. Our network is large. If what you seek training and support is not covered directly from one of our services, we can introduce you to people that can help you.
The primary focal points for what we teach is based on: business, leadership, wellness. Our sister company, Sweet Marketing Solutions specializes in training, teaching, consulting and implementing effective marketing. If you seek personal, spiritual support, Gods Word First International Researching & Teaching Ministry is a ‘go to’ resource.
Living Legacy Leadership
Learning about Living Legacy Leadership was one of the final pieces in my puzzle when it comes to describing how I approach life, learning and my ability to walk as a leader. It is not enough to build a legacy for the time when one is no longer here on earth. The mos remarkable leaders appreciate the value of the impact they have on people’s lives today.
I came across this description of a Legacy Leader. It fits me to a tee. It describes one of the insights of my leadership style the allows great action and results to happen. With that, I wish to share it with you:
12 Leadership Legacy Traits- How do you measure up?
Walter Lippman when asked about leadership legacy reflected that “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and will to carry on”.
How do you measure up as a legacy leader?
1. Legacy leaders are remembered more for their interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence and their ability to quickly transform a group into a vision driven team.
2. People don’t remember the titles of legacy leaders as much as they remember credibility, influence, compassion, understanding, patience, and integrity.
3. Legacy leaders are courageous. They are willing to stand for what is right and to take risks with a quiet tenacity. They are willing to “go against the flow” to ensure that the highest standards are maintained.
4. Legacy leaders look inward before acting outward. They know their motivations, vulnerabilities, and triggers for negative emotions. They are authentic and teachable.
5. Legacy leaders know how and when to be quiet. They ask questions and take the time to research and discover all the details before forming an opinion or taking action.
6. Legacy leaders are teachers. They remember that everyone is growing. They know that each day offers opportunities for continuous improvement, not perfection, and they encourage those they lead to strive for learning.
7. Legacy leaders are approachable. They create safe environments into which others know they can bring concerns or new ideas.
8. Legacy leaders know how to balance managing by influence and managing by authority.
9. Legacy leaders are empowering. They ensure the success of those around them. They plan for and train their successors. They inspire others to stretch, grow, through support and positioning others for success.
10. Legacy leaders don’t build more followers, they build more leaders.
11. Legacy leaders are visionary. They visualize tomorrow’s possibilities, see the organizations potential and then bite size the steps to allow their people the opportunity to experience small successes on their journey to vision attainment.
12. Legacy leaders set an example of excellence not perfection.
A legacy of leadership is what stays long after you have left the position. How did you measure up?
I look forward to our journey together in leadership growth and development.
Here’ s to empowering tomorrow’s leaders today!