As I launch my book When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World, I wanted to highlight some real-life stories of professionals who have approached significant challenges (what I call curveballs) by taking a perspective of opportunity—and saying, “I Got This.”
This inaugural story features Dr. Rosina Racioppi, the CEO of Women Unlimited, an organization that offers leadership development programs focusing on high-potential women in major corporations. Over its 28-year history, Women Unlimited had graduated more than 15,000 emerging leaders—and then the pandemic hit.
The program’s business model had been based on bringing participants together in a classroom format, and now that was no longer possible. Rosina understood the value of the program and needed to find a way to continue it in a different format. But she also recognized that in times of uncertainty, people have a lower tolerance for change. Research shows that women in particular are more likely to retreat or step back in times of uncertainty.
Rosina, however, did not retreat. She said (though probably quietly, and just to herself): “I Got This.”
She worked with her team to completely redesign the program to be virtual. And she didn’t stop with just putting the program online. She asked herself, “What do these women really need in this new reality? How can we do this so it works not just as well as the in-person program, but even better?”
Rosina recognized that many of the program participants were young; they had never experienced anything like this pandemic and were unfamiliar to hardship. So she completely redesigned the content and delivery to create a safe environment where women could be vulnerable, take risks, and be open to learning from each other.
With these changes, her program inspired participants to see what is possible, to build resiliency, and to believe in their ability to act in the face of uncertainty. And then Rosina went out to her corporate clients and promoted the program while welcoming their insight, perspective and support.
The Result: Today, the Women Unlimited program is thriving, with a long waiting list of applicants. It is delivering value beyond expectations.
And it all started with Rosina saying: “I Got This.”
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I hope you are as inspired by these stories as I am! If you have an “I Got This” story to share, contact me, and I’ll interview you for one of these posts.
And if you would like to learn more about how you can create your own “I Got This” success story, we are here to help. For starters, you might want to check out my new book, When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Book for an Uncertain World, or sign up for my online course: Leading Through Uncertainty.
Because you got this, too!