Lead Star Advice for Summer Scholars


I recently came across Lead Star, a leadership development company co founded by Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch. Following nine years as Marine Corps officers, Angie became a highly regarded corporate leader and Courtney became a highly regarded legal leader.  The company, website, and their book, Leading From the Front, offer insightful perspectives on leadership that are applicable to leaders in many different types of settings.  It is also refreshing to read about leadership from two very accomplished women. Angie is also from Michigan, one of the Joyce Ivy Foundation states.

Another element I find interesting about this successful company is that both women were extremely motivated as high school and college students, much like the Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars, and then moved from successful collegiate experiences to the Marine Corps as officers. Leadership lessons and experiences in military and civilian careers motivated them to take yet another risk to start a company as a collaborative creative team. Each stretched beyond a comfort zone multiple times.  They seem to constantly refine their own understanding and embodiment of leadership and then seek to share that with others, particularly women.

Two quotes from Angie stood out to me on the Lead Star site:


I was once told that you can spend countless hours of wasted energy trying to be better than everyone around you…but that is a futile goal. You can never be better than anyone else. You can only be better than yourself.

 About being a leader:

'Leader' isn’t a title bestowed upon you. It’s a title you can take and own for yourself.

I had the chance to speak with Angie this week, and I asked her about advice she would share with current and future Summer Scholars.  She had this to share about considering a challenge:

 Ask yourself, if I do not pursue this challenge or take this well considered risk, who gets to do this? Set the goal and commit to action. Go do it.

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