Imagine, you are a new leader, and you find yourself facing low employee morale, broken stakeholder relationships, subpar results, and lofty expectations. Many eyes are on you. What do you do first?
Communicate, connect, listen, and be visible.

When I became the first woman chief executive of my agency, everything was at rock bottom - morale, recruitment, retention, and results. The ship was off course, there were storms on the horizon, and the waters were rough - with lofty expectations and cultural challenges. But I knew the employees, the people of the organization were the key to transformation. I started relationship building on day one.
As visible, engaged, and caring leader, I demonstrated my commitment to leading people first. Valuing and investing in my most valuable asset - the people on my team.
From walking around to implementing ideas to listening and addressing lack of supportive tools and processes, I along with my team turned the organizational ship around and we set a new course. Improved employee morale led to increased recruitment and retention. technological innovations drove employee success along with results that exceeded expectations, leading to better customer and stakeholder trust, which led to increased investments in the organization. It thrived.

My journey included mountains, valleys, and carving my own path despite being told I could not. I was never supposed to succeed. People and life tried to box me. It didn't work.
From multiple suicide loss survivor before the age of 18 to military spouse to the first woman CEO of a federal agency, I faced challenges and obstacles that I viewed as catalysts for opportunity. What I learned along my journey was the importance of relationships and their impact on people especially from a leadership perspective. When stepping into a leadership role, I led unconventionally and put relating to the people of my workforce first. The results from increased morale and trust, retention, and doubled outcomes for customers speak for themselves.