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I believe that you can only be the leader you are meant to be and do your best work, when you are being unabashedly, unapologetically you.
Whether you are a rising star or a seasoned pro I am committed to helping you become the most powerful expression of who you are to make the biggest possible difference you can make.
How?
I make leading simple - the key to accessing your personal power in every moment, in everything you do.
When I discovered how to make leading simple, it changed everything.
But it wasn’t always this way.
Early in my career, after 14 years as a successful IT project manager, I decided to make a huge career change. I switched from working with technology systems to working with human systems. I realized I was far more passionate about the people than I was about the technology and went to work for a consulting firm in organizational change.
In one big leap I went from being an expert in my field to being a beginner.
It was so much harder than I expected.
I had been very successful and expected my success to continue.
But it didn’t.
In my new job I encountered well meaning bosses and mentors who had ideas of how I should lead that didn’t resonate, didn’t feel like me.
The feedback I received felt harsh, more like criticism designed to take me down rather than build me up. For the first time in my career I was suffering from crippling self-doubt. I felt neither valued nor understood by the people I worked for even though my clients had great things to say.
And I felt powerless to change things.
But deep down I still believed I was capable of so much more.
And while I was told I was CRAZY, I quit and started my own business. I could not continue to give my power away by staying in an organization that didn’t value all of who I am and what I had to offer.
I Took A Stand For Myself As The Leader I Knew I Could Be And For The Difference I Wanted To Make.
And that’s what I want for the women I am fortunate enough to work with. To move them from self doubt, feeling not valued and under appreciated, to take a stand for becoming the leader they know they are meant to be.
And to teach them how to get there one simple step at a time.
Is there anything more painful than not being heard, seen, or recognized for the value you bring, knowing you are capable of so much more?
Maybe things will get better, you think. But time passes and nothing changes.
And little by little it sucks your soul dry.
I’ve been there.
Here’s the good news. You don’t have to quit your job. But you do need to know the specific actions you must take to turn things around.
The great news is that leading really is simple. Let me show you how.
My moment of clarity about leadership–and the birth of Random Acts of Leadership™– came unexpectedly..
In June of 2006, my dad, Jim Ernst, passed away. He left behind a newspaper clipping for us to find called “To Remember Me…” by Robert Noel Test.
The last line reads:
“If by chance you wish to remember me, do it with a kind Word or Deed for someone who needs you. If you do all that I have asked, I will live forever.”
He had given us the perfect way to remember him, so at his memorial service we asked people to commit an act of kindness in his memory.
Over the next few months I took on the practice of committing random acts of kindness.
What I observed got me thinking…
Maybe we've made the idea of leadership way more complicated than it needs to be.
What if committing an act of leadership could be as simple as committing an act of kindness?
So instead of asking "What is leadership?" I started asking, "What does leadership look like in action?" The notion of a "random act of leadership" takes leadership out of the realm of theory and puts it into the realm of the practical.
And anyone can learn it, use it, and thrive with it.
I cracked the code!
Working with thousands of individuals and dozens of organizations to uplevel their leadership over the past 2+ decades has given me unique insights into what leadership looks like in action.
My Leading Made Simple Methodology guides you in rapidly elevating your leadership one, simple action at a time.
Whether you are brand new to leading, an accomplished leader, or somewhere in between, taking on your personal leadership gives you access to something few things do from the inside out.
It gives you the freedom to be the best, most powerful and empowered you.
You no longer need to hold back and play small.
You will know your true value from the inside out. And be able to recognize value in others.
And whether this means you will leave that soul sucking position for one that honors all of who you are, or you begin to speak and act in ways that earn you the recognition you deserve, your life will change.
You will change.
How would it feel to reignite your passion for your work and the difference you can make?
How would it feel to be more confident, to know without a doubt you can be the leader you know you are capable of being?
How would it feel to take a stand for you, your value and what you want for you?
So, let's make leadership simple together.
Let's tap into your power to make a difference in the things and the people that matter most to you.
By making leadership simple you gain access to your power to make a difference in the things and for the people that matter most to you.
More About Susan Mazza
Highly Experienced, Exceptional Results
Susan has worked with professionals around the world for over 25 years as a speaker, coach, teacher and consultant. Her results have ranged from executive coaching clients getting their dream job or hard-won promotion, to business owners embracing their leadership role to build high performing teams and 10x’s their revenue, to coaching a team that added $1 billion to the bottom line of their company.
From IT Professional to Organizational Change Consultant to Leadership Coach
After 14 years as an IT professional I chose to make a major career change, shifting from developing technology systems to cultivating human systems. As an IT professional I had discovered that the key to successful technology development and implementation was to connect deeply with the needs, challenges and aspirations of the people involved in and affected by the technology.
In other words, I realized that the things that made me successful as an IT project manager had less to do with leading the technology than it did with leading the people involved.
Success in a technical world and bridging the gap between people from different worlds and world views - the technical and the non-technical - required a very practical approach to leadership.
I have carried that practical approach into my work as a consultant and coach and it has been the key to being effective in developing leaders in highly technical roles such as systems engineers, IT professionals, accountants, and educators.
Author/Founder of the highly acclaimed blog Random Acts of Leadership™
Through her writing Susan has earned recognition as a top Thought Leader and Leadership Expert in places like Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, and Trust Across America/Trust Around the world.
She has Co-authored The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Revolution of Leadership One Person at a Time, and Energize Your Leadership: Discover, Ignite Breakthrough, The Mentor That Matters and Trust Inc.
Clients include…
Prudential, US Navy Department of Defense, AT&T, The Women in Technology Network, The United Way, Bell CA, Ingram Micro, Women in Energy, The Entrepreneurial Development Center at IRSC, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Halogen Software, WEVenture, National Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), Avenues: The World School, The Morris School District, and The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. Susan also supports the Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech as a volunteer.
In addition, Susan has worked with a wide variety of small businesses from The Soup Shop in Melbourne, FL, to a robotics programming company in Poland, Deltax Programming, to marketing firms such as Weaving Influence and Rock Paper Simple.
Looking to Enhance Your Leadership Skills and Grow?
Boost Your Leadership Skills with Susan!
Susan Mazza offers a variety of programs and services that can help you grow as a leader, elevate your skills, and increase your impact. Don't hesitate to explore her offerings today!