(For Immediate Release, October 5, 2009, Washington DC) “If we wish to be better leaders, we must develop our own vision of what leadership looks like and take the steps to fulfill that vision,” Beverly Jones, President of Clearways Consulting told a group of college and university executives at the second annual Women Administrators in Higher Education national conference in Washington DC, September 18th.

During a session entitled, “Become the CEO of Your Own Life,” she described how approaches leadership coaches use to help their clients improve leadership capabilities can support personal as well as managerial growth and that building leadership skills requires personal growth. “Leadership isn’t just something that we do, but actually reflects what we are,” she told the group during a session with co-presenter Leadership Coach Janet Baldwin Anderson, moderated by the Council of Independent College’s VP for Communications, Laura Wilcox.

Beverly cited a number of core elements needed to transform executive competencies into leadership characteristics in addition to developing and seeking fulfillment of one’s personal vision. “While being positive, understanding the Japanese concept of Kaizan, (the power of gradual change) and wanting to serve, are important in the process,” she said, “being fully present in any situation, remaining consistently aware of one’s own abilities and how to use them, maintaining the capacity to marshal and manage one’s emotional and intellectual energies, are essential.”

(click here to see an overview of Beverly’s presentation)