Written by Brooke Alexander, Business Analyst with ClaimLogiq and 2021 spring Leadership Discovery session

Liz Ashley not only works for Positively People but is a positive person herself. She radiates warmth and confidence that is welcoming to be around. Liz is an Orange County, California native who has traveled around the world to embrace culture, make meaningful connections with others, and inspire a motivated outlook on career and life. With over 15 years of experience in professional development, peer/team coaching, and business, Liz is an excellent representative of what it means to not only be a leader, but also someone that makes an impact on the world.

Liz began her career as a faculty member at the University of Virginia. Liz stated that teaching “was one of her greatest joys” and that this sparked an interest in strengthening her leadership outside of a teaching career. Liz knew that she wanted to make more meaningful connections with others. This led to Liz working for Estee Lauder, where she spoke of transforming a low-grossing region to a top sales region during a hard-hitting economic time in the country. She credited this to growth within her team as a product of open communication, proper training, and team-building exercises. In doing so, Liz felt empowered that there was more she could do, more people that she could inspire to live the life they wanted and have the career of their dreams. She was on the right path. Working for Positively People has allowed Liz to utilize her craft of mentoring teams and peers to live up to their highest potential. 

During the course of our Leadership Discovery class, Liz has been an exemplary mentor. She is always present and engaged with each member of our class. She has even attended other sessions outside her own. I was able to sit down with Liz and review a personal assessment through Everything DiSC. She led me through my Work of Leaders results, met with my company colleagues, and provided me with her personal contact information should I ever need to reach out to her with questions. Her energetic spirit to help me succeed and become the best version of myself ignited a spark. I do not doubt that I will be calling her throughout my career.  

While Liz credits many amazing attributes to her career and leadership growth, her focus during our Discovery session was Conscious Leadership. She asked the question, “How aware are we of ourselves and others especially in high-risk situations”? Through self-awareness, understanding of human potential, and making meaningful impacts, conscious leadership can be practiced. A leader must be prepared for conflicting views and opposition at times within teams. Liz prepared us for these types of discussions and hosted a review session of the book Crucial Conversations, which informs the reader of how to handle dialogue when the stakes are high. Liz’s understanding of the book and conversation with our class helped me to better understand where I can be impactful during high-risk conversations. I feel prepared to lead discussions that will produce efficient results with a planned course of action with my team.

On behalf of the Leadership Discovery Spring 2021 class, thank you Liz for sharing your story, leadership lessons, and for all the work you will continue to do in our community. We appreciate you so much.

Lessons from Liz:

1. Become aware of yourhuman potential. Self-awareness and awareness of those around you can help to deepen human connections, open communication lines, and better understand the situation or conflict around you.

2. Lead in Conflict. Our ability to handle crucial conversations with curiosity, compassion, and truth can produce more positive outcomes for all involved and can result in a plan of action in the right direction.

3. Allow for Appreciative Inquiry when exploring ideas and actions.

Ask yourself:

What do I want?

What need am I trying to suppress?

What do I want for the other person/team?

What is currently working?

4. Maintain a positive and motivated mindset. Find what you love & conquer it!

5. Stay open to change and growth. We can always learn something from the people and world around us.

6. BE CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF!