Penney Leadership 2018 Annual Report

Last week marked one year since Penney Leadership went live! Many of you have asked about my transition into entrepreneurship and what it's been like to own my own business. Today, I'm pulling back the curtain for a behind-the-scenes look.

The last year has completely exceeded my expectations—it's been so fun, meaningful, and exciting. I've gotten to build a life and a business around my personal mission, values, natural strengths, and the kind of success that I find most meaningful.

Someone asked me this morning about the most surprising thing about my experience thus far. This is it: I can enjoy life so much more than I thought possible. Especially as someone who came up through nonprofits, I used to think I had to learn to power through demands, expectations, and discomforts and make great sacrifices to serve the world through my work. To be sure, that in part had to do with the culture of the sector—but more so, it was based on the limitations of my own mindset. I've realized that it's not true at all.

With clarity around who I am, what I stand for, what I bring to the table, and the kind of impact I want to have, I've created a career path that aligns with who I am. It brings me confidence, joy, fulfillment, exciting ways to stretch myself, and opportunities to share tools with others to uncover the same kind of clear, strategic direction in their own lives.

Part of my approach to coaching is to help individuals think as strategically as organizations. The Strategic Career Plan is the best example: it guides and grounds you as you move forward, just as organizational strategy drives a mission-driven organization.

So like an organization, I thought it would be fun to create an Annual Report on Penney Leadership's impact  in this first year.

When I look at this report, I feel incredibly proud, incredibly grateful to all of the people who have connected with this work and shared issues of The Strategic Leader's Toolbox with others—and incredibly excited about what's to come.