I recently sat down with Leadercast to discuss the concept of being a “visionary leader” the topic of their upcoming Leadercast Live event. Today I will join innovators such as Steve Wozniak, Nick Saban, CMDR Rorke Denver and many others to speak to over 100,000 leaders worldwide about the key characteristics of visionary leadership. 

 In that interview we discussed various stages of careers and specifically the advice I’ve received and lessons I’ve learned. This post is the final in a three-part series sharing the discussions in that interview around some of my “lessons from unexpected places” that I’ll expand upon at this year’s Leadercast Live.

When I became president of Cinnabon, the brand, after 24 years of business, had experienced great challenges leading up to and through the recession. We built a great team and evolved not just a few products but the entire business operating model. We brought back some things that had gone away; we launched completely new things that were not always popular. We put big energy behind growing smaller footprints and expanded products into new channels that would come to redefine the brand as one of the strongest multi-channel retail brands in the world with over a billion dollars in branded product sales, all while reinvesting in and growing the core legacy franchise business. Staying true to the brand – irresistibly indulgent – we became notably different and better off many years later.

When I became Chair of the Board for the Women’s Foodservice Forum, an amazing, industry non-profit, dedicated to developing women leaders, we were in the middle of pivoting our entire model and a CEO transition. This organization’s leadership was able to honor its core mission, but meaningfully shift a majority of the way the business was done in order to continue to bring that mission to life in the marketplace and community we are in today.

The dramatic changes and evolution that leaders and businesses can go through often creates fear that “we are going to become something we’re not” or “if we launch this innovation division, or if I change my position on this critical issue (could be business or personal), how will it impact me, us, my family the company”? Is it being wishy-washy? Is it not being true to what I am/what we were?

The irony of this is that in order to protect something and grow it, thereby honoring the legacy of where it came from, for you, your group or your company, to continue to thrive over time, you need to use new information, dynamics and capabilities and then shift, pivot and change.

Unfortunately, when a really big idea is introduced into any group, when a leader announces a major change in direction, or when a politician who had a position on an issue 10 years ago veers from that position today – people judge, criticize and question – creating the environment where others in the future hesitate to evolve. This demonstrates the need to give ourselves and others permission to change and to believe that it is necessary in order to thrive. This confidence and belief can help override the fears that so predictably come along with leading great, but needed change.

When I think of a legacy of growth and evolution, I think of my mom. Much of my mom’s strength came from her mom, who raised my mother as a single parent. My mom’s father died when she was young; she is the youngest of seven children and grew up with very little and with difficulties that no child and young woman should endure, but that is all too common (and even worse) around the world.

She never forgets those painful experiences and uses it to fuel her gratitude for what she does have, but it also fuels her drive to constantly learn, grow and create “better” for herself, her family and those around her. She honors her past, but it is not who or what she is. She chooses her path and has redefined herself and her reality for the better many times over. She raised three healthy girls on her own for many years and today runs her own business. She beat the odds, and I hope she publishes her story one day to inspire many.

Reflecting on those difficult years when my mom was on her own, I have developed a saying that is inspired by notes from my mom over the years: “Don’t forget where you came from, but don’t you dare ever let it solely define you”. I have carried this with me to every company and leadership role I have filled – and I certainly apply it to myself personally. I’ve learned how important it is to honor your truth and your roots – personally and in a business and brand, but to not let that limit or solely define you. As a leader, it’s a constant focus and effort to help others honor what they have accomplished in the past, but look and push forward with what must be done differently to succeed.

In this way, leadership is about constant evolution and transformation – the ability to choose your future and shape your path every day. That’s what this year’s Leadercast theme is all about – architecting your tomorrow. My mom, me, the businesses I’ve helped grow, and many other successes you have seen or been a part of, have all done that. Not forgetting where we came from, yet not letting it solely define us.

Another legacy lesson I learned from my mother is that just because things could be worse does not mean you don’t have the right or the responsibility to make them better. A lot of times, because things could be worse, we want to simply live in a place of gratitude – which is an important element. But there is a version that can become almost paralyzing if you think, “Things can be worse and why would I attempt to make them better?” Things could have been a lot worse for my sisters and me. But my mom felt she still had the responsibility to make them better, which meant a lot of sacrifice and raising us on her own. I look at every opportunity – my personal life, my health, my investments, my business relationships – with that lesson in mind.

These lessons have led to my own evolution as a leader. One of the most powerful lessons I have learned from many years of leading and seeing evolution and growth, is that you’re capable of more than you know. We are capable of great physical feats, great emotional strength, and incredible intellectual discovery. If the people I connect with hear that, if they see it every day, and if they really believe it, they come closer to realizing their full potential. Knowing that I am capable of more than I will ever know is not a daunting thought; it’s an inspiring thought. To me it means that accomplishment, growth and learning are limitless. For my personal legacy of evolution, I hope I’m known not just for helping people, companies and communities realize they are capable of more than they know, but also for the life-long goal of balancing courage and confidence with humility and curiosity, always underscored by love. To me, that describes leadership of self, of family, and of being the best version of you that you can be. There’s a motto that many people may have heard – and that I have said for over a decade: “If not me, who? If not now, when?” That speaks to personal accountability and believing it’s never too late to act. If you don’t act now, what are you trading off? And why can’t it be you? I believe so firmly in personal accountability and its critical role serving other humans. It is important to me in those I hire, those I lead, and those I follow.

We will all leave an impression on the world – some sort of legacy. It’s never too early to be intentional about your leadership values and the impact you would like to leave behind. I hope these lessons and posts have stirred up thoughts and conversations on visionary leadership of self and of others. I have loved all your comments, and I continue to keep my mind and heart open to other lessons yet to come.

• Respect your roots. There’s something special about where you came from and where you started. And there’s a reason why you’re where you are today.
• Don’t let your past solely define you. Leadership is about constant evolution and transformation – the ability to choose your future every day.
• Just because things could be worse does not mean you don’t have the right or the responsibility to make them better. “If not you, who? If not now, when?”
• You don’t know the exact impact you will have on others until after you do it. And sometimes you will never know. That’s why it’s critical to show up every day valuing others, with a sense of responsibility, service and gratitude.
• You’re capable of more than you know; let that inspire you to limitless learning, growth and achievement.
• Strive to balance courage and confidence with humility and curiosity. To me, that describes leadership of self, of family, and of being the best version of you that you can be.