Leader of the Month for May 2004:
Anne Bruce
Leader of the Month for May 2004:
Anne Bruce
Anne’s story: Anne travels the world spreading a message of inspiration and helping individuals and organizations envision the possibilities they are capable of achieving. Her message is not blind idealism, though. She packages and delivers her message in a meaningful way, calling for us to acknowledge the reality of our own strengths and ambitions. A quote from her recent book release, Discover True North: A 4-Week Approach to Ignite Your Passion and Activate Your Potential, sums up Anne’s thoughts well: “I believe that each of us has the ability to do something significant and great—something that can change the world for the better in some way, large or small.” Anne is passionate about helping and encouraging people to make the most of who they are. She says, “I hate to see wasted potential. I believe in the total force of humanity and the extraordinary performance and compassion of human behavior. There is more to each one of us than we could ever imagine. Harnessing the force that binds is what I am most committed to accomplishing in my lifetime.” With Anne’s belief in human potential and a wealth of expertise in teaching the techniques necessary to achieve that potential, Anne is a truly exemplary leader.
About Anne Bruce
Best-selling Author and Speaker
Currently Resides: Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Misc.: Has traveled the world instructing, inspiring, and empowering individuals and organizations
Born: Bronx, NY, USA
Place in the world Anne most likes to visit: South Africa
Favorite quote: “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Favorite book: The Diary of Anne Frank, because it captures the power, love and perseverance of the human spirit.
Books recommended for aspiring leaders: Leaders—Start to Finish by Anne Bruce; Biography of Winston Churchill; Leadership by Rudy Giuliani, all of the Brief Case Books from McGraw-Hill
Personal passion: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Dreams: Write a bestselling novel and a bestselling children’s book
Anne Bruce and Leadership
Brian McCormick of LeaderNetwork.org has this to say about Anne: Anne’s newest book, Discover True North, demonstrates what Anne stands for as a leader. Anne’s insight is evident throughout the book in the questions she poses. She invites us to ask ourselves the meaningful queries that will unlock our own potential. Then she asks us to act on the answers we provide and offers strategies for doing so. Anne demonstrates the breadth of her knowledge as she effectively supplements her own insights with the wisdom put forth by many of history’s most astute thinkers.
Anne’s advice to aspiring leaders: Be your authentic self and let your average excellence shine! You are good enough the way you are.
Anne’s most admired leaders: Winston Churchill, Rudy Giuliani, Colleen Barrett (President of Southwest Airlines)
When asked why she selected these three leaders, Anne's response: (with regards to Colleen Barrett) Like her predecessor Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines, Colleen loves the people there. It is that love for the people that has allowed Southwest to continue to remain profitable when many others in the industry have fallen short. (regarding Winston Churchill and Rudy Giuliani) Churchill and Giuliani embody the sense of leading in difficult times. Obviously, it is much more difficult to lead when the world around you and the people in it are experiencing great change and tribulation. Both Churchill and Giuliani instilled the sense in people that they would come out of things better.
Anne counts the following as the leadership highlights of her life: Becoming a published author so that my message could reach thousands and then speaking all over the world and reaching even more people. I am very fortunate.
Traits Anne considers most important in a leader: Integrity, top communication skills, and hope for a better tomorrow
What current concepts do leaders need to embrace? Among the hottest topics currently is our examination of the way we view intelligence, and this is much larger in scope than just emotional intelligence which has gotten much press of late. Intelligence Reframed is a conference I do to address this topic.
Are there any maxims that have been put aside in modern times that leaders need to return to? We need to teach leaders to use common sense. In many ways, we have stopped teaching people to think for themselves. We need to look at things in the most simple way we can rather than making things too complicated and trying to sound smart. I believe Einstein’s view that “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (note: Anne expounds upon this concept of Einstein and simplicity on pages 174-175 of her newest book: Discover True North)
Where to Go for More About Anne Bruce
Where can you find more about Anne, her leadership, and the services she provides worldwide for individuals and organizations?
