The Power of How: Transform Fear and Self-Doubt into Leading and Living with Courage

“The Power of How is the most meaningful book I have read regarding authentic leadership. This book is easy to read and provides excellent “Take Actions” sections at the end of every Chapter. Courageous leadership is needed today more than ever. It takes mental, emotional and physical grit. A true inside out job. This life changing journey will not only positively impact your life, but more importantly, those you have the privilege to lead.” - Christina Gullo, President and CEO of Villa of Hope

“Wow, just read The Power of How. What a powerful guide for all of us on the leadership journey. This really helped me ground myself again. Ordering copies for everyone on my team! Every leader should read this book.” -Angelica Perez-Delgado, President and CEO of Ibero-American Action League

“The Power of How is chock full of practices that I can immediately implement. I felt as though the book was written just for me and the challenges I face as a business owner! I have been starting each day with a chapter from the book and visualizing how I can put the concept into use that day. There hasn’t been a day the topic hasn’t been helpful.”-Peter Messner, President of Messner Flooring

“The Power of How mirrors the gift of Mary and Ed’s work with individuals and organizations. This book serves as a solid, researched guide that any of us can refer to. It puts courageous leadership into best practices and actions in both our professional and personal lives. It is a book that I will continue to use as a “go-to” guide on my leadership journey.”-Kim Brumber, President and CEO of East House

“The Power of How has had a profound impact on me in both my professional and personal life. It provides simple processes and language that actively drives continuous learning. I now have the definitive manual for developing myself as a servant leader for the betterment of my employees, business and our community.”-Eric Wangler, President and CEO of Jaccard Corporation

Introduction:

When leadership is distilled to its core, we are left with two words. These two words describe how leaders can maintain a positive attitude and create the inspiring, motivating environment people desire. They are the foundation of high-performing individuals, teams and organizations. These two words are ENERGY and INFLUENCE. What energy do I choose to bring to any situation and how does that energy first influence me and then those around me? These are the fundamental personal and professional questions that will guide the concepts throughout this book. We cannot give away what we don’t have.

This growth and transformation is life-changing as we continually overcome fear and self-doubt and live into our true powerful selves. Resilience, grit and indomitable spirit are themes you will find throughout this book. We believe the powerful journey of leadership is not for the faint of heart. Having awareness first of self, with all our self-talk, fears, intentions and beliefs, and then of others is a leader’s way of consistently monitoring whether or not (s)he is bringing positive energy to their environment. Research shows that we each have about 60,000 thoughts or 6,000 thought-units in a day. This constant narrative running in our minds generates feelings throughout our day that we may or may not be conscious of. It is so easy to get swept away in our stream of thoughts and feelings. We tell ourselves a story, and then we believe it.

If you were to ask just about any leader how they are feeling, most will tell you they are tired, stressed and anxious about something. We are programmed to focus on the negative feelings, thoughts and emotions more than the positive. About 80% of our thoughts are negative or concerning. We are biologically wired for immediate survival and therefore fearful of any threat. We are not wired for long-term positivity and enthusiasm...