Carrollton, GA – March 8, 2018: Catalyzing community leaders to develop authentic leadership was the focus of Retired Brigadier General Dana H. Born, PhD as she engaged a large audience of nearly 200 on the evening of March 6.
Held at the Depot on Bradley, the event, Surviving and Thriving: Integrating Your Life and Leadership Goals, was hosted by the Southwire Women’s Network and allowed members of the community a chance to connect, to listen, to share and to consider the impact of their approach to leadership.
Following the presentation of colors by the Carrollton High School JROTC, Nancy Richards Farese, member of Southwire’s board of directors and company shareholder, introduced Born, sharing her experiences with and the inspiration she gained from the retired brigadier general during her time as a student at the Harvard Kennedy School.
“It is a huge pleasure to connect the part of my life that I spent at the Harvard Kennedy School to the part of my life here in Carrollton,” said Farese. “We have such a vibrant community, and we believe it is important that our leadership and our team at Southwire invest in inclusion and diversity. That vision led us to host Dana here today.”
Prior to the community event, Born also took time during the day to address members of Officium, Southwire’s newly formed employee resource group that is focused on veterans. She also held a roundtable discussion with the Southwire executive team.
Born served in the United States Air Force for 30 years and currently is a lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is co-director of the Center for Public Leadership and has an extensive résumé of recognitions and career achievements.
Looking beyond her long list of accomplishments, Born’s main message to attendees was to strive for authentic leadership and learn to embrace and tell one’s full story, not just the positive, prominent parts. To do so, she suggests that one must understand the alignment between “Who are you?” and “Why are you?”
“Leadership is not all about being in a position of authority,” said Born. “It’s about your head, your heart and your actions and how they all connect to tell your story.”
Attendees were also given the opportunity to take Born’s learnings and apply them during a short exercise, which encouraged a thoughtful approach to how one tells his or her story.
“Embrace the thing that makes you who you are, and bring your true self to the team environment,” said Born. “This is the key to authentic leadership.”
