In her newly published book entitled, “Life Lessons: A Purpose Driven Leadership Journey”, well-respected Corporate Executive and Business Leader Alison Browne-Ellis shares a collection of personal life stories that have helped to shape her career and influence her leadership style. Her aim is to motivate and inspire other leaders, especially females in the corporate arena, who can learn from her experience.
Speaking to the Barbados Advocate recently about the book which was launched last month, Alison, the current director of Cave Shepherd Card Services explained that the idea of writing these “life lessons” came about during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as she worked long hours, but wrestled with a lack of sleep and an insatiable desire to write. She started out with a blog- “lifelessonsbyabe” and given the overwhelming response to her articles and social media postings, she decided to take a leap of faith. She did her own research to see how she could self-publish a book and the rest is history. Her new book, which acts as a guide for other career professionals and for anyone with dreams and personal aspirations, is now available on Amazon.com, in paperback or Kindle format.
Speaking about her leadership journey, Alison meanwhile noted that from early on, she knew she was destined to lead. However, she also saw the need to uplift, inspire and mentor others, even as she made her way to the top, thereby helping them to also carve out their own career path and to grow and develop in their own right.
“My career spans over 23 years, of which 16 have been in a management position. For me, I have always seen myself as a leader, because I am very focused on helping others to grow and that’s what leadership is. It is all about people,” Browne-Ellis remarked.
“Anyone that knows me, knows that my standards are extremely high. Whatever I do, I do it well and that’s one of the trademarks. In the book, I talk about excellence being your trademark, because for me, that is important,” the newly published author revealed.
In her earlier days, Browne-Ellis worked at Barclays Bank, then at FirstCaribbean International Bank before the change to CIBC FirstCaribbean, before taking up the post as Director of Cave Shepherd Card in 2011. Her current position she says, allows her to fully pursue her passion of developing others.
“It was the best decision I made, because I have always been about making an impact. The position I am in now really helps me to formulate a culture that I feel very proud of today. (The staff) know that I expect them to deliver high quality service, but it is also about watching them grow. I have seen so many amazing results coming out of them, just watching them emerge and develop within themselves and that’s where I get my greatest satisfaction as a leader,” she indicated.
“(Over the years), I have felt very, very strongly about developing others and helping them to recognise that sometimes we hold ourselves back, but it really hit me on a flight coming back from Canada. I read Michelle Obama’s book and she essentially said in one of her quotes, “When you walk through the door of success, you are not supposed to slam it shut behind you. You should reach back and help others to gain similar opportunities that have been afforded to you”. That resonated with me,” she stressed.
Eagerly sharing just what persons can expect from her new book, Alison said, “First of all, the book kind of sets the tone that you really have to understand what is your
purpose, because we all get into things for different reasons and I believe that sometimes when we have young professionals that are wavering and you are not seeing the consistency in their performance, it is because they have still not figured out why they are doing what they are doing, to be able to connect it back to a greater purpose, that keeps them excited. So the book starts with that, basically understanding what your purpose is, because that then drives every single action that you take, from that point on.”
“As a business leader, I have a team of 30, but I am involved in every aspect of the organisation at any one point in time and I see for myself firsthand what some of the professional development gaps are. I am big on attitude. Attitude for me is everything. So I start there and then I get into some of what I consider to be fundamentals. So really positioning yourself within your career,” she continued.
Building your brand
Browne-Ellis maintained, “Whether it is a business, whether you are an entrepreneur, for me there are basic fundamentals – understanding how you can go about being intentional about your growth, how you can build your personal brand, because people take it for granted, not realising that you have to be intentional about building your brand. People need to understand that their name is being called when they are not in the room and that’s what your personal brand dictates, essentially.
“It is also about managing risks, how do you start to focus on overcoming obstacles, because one of the things as career professionals I have found is that once people get frustrated, they throw their hands up, as opposed to seeing obstacles as opportunities that help them to grow ” she further acknowledged.
“Also, I think that discipline is what has brought me to this point. Discipline has helped me to be consistent in my performance. So being able to hone in on this important skill, which again, is taken for granted. You don’t do one job well and get all the praise and then go back to something that is mediocre after that. You have to start to build on that consistency and that performance from that point on. Then I talk about things like building capacity and recognising the importance of feedback, because it is important,” the author stated, adding that work-life balance is also key, though it can be a struggle.
Apart from the book, as a strong woman in a leadership position, Alison meanwhile wants to see more women taking their seat at the table and when they do get there, working to complement each other, rather than compete against each other. There is strength in unity she says.
Certainly, there is much more to come from Alison Browne-Ellis in the future.
With great assurance she says, “I firmly believe that God always directs me where He wants me to go and I just follow. I don’t fight it.”
The current “Boss Ladies” at her recent book launch and others looking on, are greatly anticipating what’s next.
