Making the Leap to Leading our Peers: EO’s Path of Leadership Shows the Way

by Lynn Anstett, FY2023/2024 Global Chair, Entrepreneurs' Organization; member, EO Cincinnati; Founder, Stett Transportation

Successful leaders don’t know everything. We’re willing to learn, grow and expand to our full potential. As entrepreneurs, many of us have proven ourselves time and again as we launched, led, and scaled our companies. But learning to follow peers in collaborative partnerships or helping bring their ideas to life? For us, that can take some extra time and practice.

That’s why I’m challenging you, my fellow members, to expand your leadership skills by applying for EO’s unique Path of Leadership program. During my 10+ years as a chapter officer and then in successive regional and global roles, I have come to not only discover how much I still have yet to learn, but to also trust that I have what it takes to be the kind of leader I’d choose to follow. We all do.

From doubt to determination

It’s one thing to set the vision and take on the risk of leading a company of employees whom we pay to execute on our strategy, but leading a group of leaders? That’s a completely different skill set. It puts us in situations where we have to influence, persuade and then hold our peers —our fellow entrepreneurs— accountable. This can be a unique and sometimes uncomfortable challenge for those of us who have mostly been in the driver’s seat of our careers. We have to learn to lead through influence instead of reporting structures.

You might be wondering: am I qualified to be a leader in this community? Do I have the right experience or leadership style? Fair questions. Like many of us, I have experienced my share of “imposter syndrome” over the years. I first felt it 36 years ago, coincidentally around the same time EO was founded, when I was in my early 20s and working as a secretary for a chemical distributor. Looking back, I clearly did not fit in—partly because I was a young woman in a male-dominated industry. But from the beginning, I practiced thinking outside the box when looking at challenges.

I wasn’t just handed growth opportunities early in my career: I had to earn and then seize them. For example, to increase my earning potential, I proposed structuring my bonuses with savings I generated for my employer’s company. In doing so, I learned to not only ask for what I want, but equip myself with facts before feelings when making a business case for change.

I feel grateful that I learned, from that early age, to bank on my hopes and not my fears. Fast forward to today and that trust in myself has paid off: I’m founder and owner of an award-winning, 28-year-old logistics firm that I built from scratch while raising three children. I’m also EO’s Global Chair for its Board of Directors, helping set vision and strategy for our community of 18,000 members around the world. My younger self did not imagine these outcomes, but I did trust in my ability to try, fail and evolve.

How did I get here? Whenever I feel the slightest twinge of doubt, I remember the commitment I have long made to myself, my company, and then to EO: to learn, grow, and lead in partnership with my peers; to balance confidence with curiosity and vulnerability. I was reminded of those commitments when I had the honor of speaking with several hundred women entrepreneurs at the inspiring MyEO Women Summit in Marrakech, earlier this year.

We’re all enough

Those conversations in Marrakesh reminded me again how I overcame my doubts by remembering one key point: most of us have doubts and occasional whispers of insecurity or fear.

Do I have enough experience? Do I have enough expertise? Will I be enough in this role? My answer quite simply is: yes. We are all enough.

EO’s Path of Leadership reminds us of this simple truth as we dive into personal and professional development, learn from our peers, and grow our confidence. With more of us leaning in and continuing to support each other, we will only add to EO’s ability to support new generations of business owners and creators, while building on our past boards’ hard work.

The benefits of saying ‘yes’ to POL

Embarking on EO’s Path of Leadership (POL) offers participants a more global view of our businesses and industries. EO members also benefit from deeper engagement as they become even more vital within our network of leaders. Finally, the Path of Leadership helps members gain new perspectives from being directly involved with the training of various chapters’ presidents-elect and at the same time, identifying and cultivating future leaders around the world.

Bottom line, the learning opportunities are exponential. You will discover new ways to build resilience; take on unexpected challenges with new perspectives; and learn from your peers across various industries while together, we find new ways to support each other.

So consider saying ‘yes’ when a peer recommends you for a leadership role. Say ‘yes’ to expanding your learning. And say ‘yes’ to growing in ways you may not have even considered yet, while giving back to this community and organization that helps us thrive.

I encourage you to watch this brief video at pol.eonetwork.org and then click here to submit your application soon, because deadlines for next year’s leadership positions are fast approaching. We look forward to welcoming and learning from you.