Lead Like You Mean It: Lessons on Integrity and Purpose from the C-Suite

A groundbreaking, inspiring, and holistic new approach to leadership from one of the top woman C-suite executives in the nation

AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER

We all want a healthy and happy personal life, financial security, and to do meaningful work. We don’t want to lose sight of our values and, in pursuit of financial security and career success, get sucked into a dead-end job. We want a life filled with purpose and to leave behind a meaningful legacy. But how do we do all these things, especially in today’s divisive times?

In Lead Like You Mean It, Laysha Ward draws on her storied career as one of the nation’s top Black female C-suite executives to show readers the answer: leading with meaning.

Leading with meaning entails viewing your life and career as part of the same puzzle, acting from your purpose, making intentional choices, nurturing relationships, and championing and sustaining yourself and others. When you lead with meaning, you are taking a holistic approach that blends your life and career. You are part of something that’s bigger than yourself, staying aligned with your purpose no matter what life throws at you or how your purpose evolves. You are stepping into, rather than shying away from, new relationships, even with people from completely different backgrounds. And you are committing to bettering yourself and being of service to others.

As you learn to focus on self-care and total well-being, navigate the highs and lows of life and career, and shape a legacy that leaves people and things better off than you found them, you’ll discover that leading with meaning--at any age--is the key to a well-lived life.

Laysha Ward is an accomplished C-suite executive with 32 years of leadership experience at Target Corporation. She most recently served as the retailer’s Executive Vice President, Chief External Engagement Officer, overseeing its enterprise-wide approach to stakeholder relations. She is a member of the Economic Clubs of Chicago and New York, Executive Leadership Council, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Black Women on Boards and Women Corporate Directors - Tampa Bay Chapter. She serves on the nonprofit boards of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Northside Achievement Zone, as well as the board of Minnesota Sports and Events and the for-profit boards of Denny’s Corporation and United Airlines Holdings.