Today is the ninth day of the new blog series entitled Bring Your Leadership to Life! Join us throughout the month of March and beyond as we feature guest bloggers who share their perspective on how they bring their leadership to life! This blog series highlights the theme of the 2nd Annual Evening for Austin Leading Ladies, an event that SOS Leadership is honored to be hosting in partnership with The Concordia MBA on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at Concordia University Texas. Learn more about this powerful event and register at www.austinleadingladies.com.
Sarah Rose is a stay-at-home mom with an almost two-year old son and one on the way! She graduated from St. Edward’s University with a degree in communications. Prior to her days of changing diapers, she worked in development for Catholic Charities of Central Texas. Currently during nap times, she consults for Petrus Development, a development consulting firm focused on empowering Catholic ministries in higher education across the United States.
I do my best to bring leadership to life through serving my community and my family.
I believe a leader is someone who sees the big picture and is able to rally the troops by supporting them, lifting them up, and empowering them to reach the goal at hand.
When I envision someone leading a team, I picture them at the back of the group – picking up the stragglers, cheering everyone on, carrying the water, first aid kit and snacks (lots of snacks!). The leader brought the map, but the artist drew the map, the directionally-gifted reads the map, and athlete clears the way.
By serving those in my family and in my community, I hope to also lift them up. For example, I serve my family by doing those horrific, monotonous chores that no one enjoys doing (dishes, anyone?). But by doing those, I allow my husband to spend time with our son in the evening. Even more so, by doing those chores with joy and cheer (trust me, I’m not talking cartwheels around the house. But simply being happy and not complaining), I lift my family’s spirits while they spend that precious time together.
In order to better serve those around me, I had to prioritize what matters most to me. I had to recognize that my family (including me!) needed a strong leader at this point in our journey. Someone who could carry the provisions, cheer them on, and pick them up when they fell. By leaving my job, I am able to put my family as number one.
However, leaving the workforce does not mean I have given up on my dreams. Instead, it’s allowed me the freedom to grow and commit to continuing to become the best version of myself. A better mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor – a better leader.
Stay tuned in the days to come as the Bring Your Leadership to Life Series continues….