June 8, 2015 by

Who are you?

What do you want?

Why does it matter?

These are the 3 questions that I’ve found most business professionals struggle to

The 3rd question has many layers to it.

One is, “do you have an opportunity to talk about what matters most to you?”

In order for a leader to grow and develop, you must have places that you go where you discuss what matters most.

I feel like this past year I’ve talked a lot about failure that I began questioning why am I talking about this again…

But, I believe that there is a myth that leaders are supposed to always get it right.

This leads to some leaders being afraid to share their weaknesses and fears which will stunt their individual growth and development.

At my annual Leadership Success Summit, I talk about the statement that most if not all attendees have probably heard – that it’s lonely at the top.

It’s only lonely if you don’t have people you can speak to about what matters most – and build a plan around how you can get it.

As a leader, you are ultimately responsible for your success.

Know that you cannot go it alone.

ACTION ITEM: The Upside Challenge of the week is to speak aloud to at least one person what matters most to you.

If you’re the smartest person in your circle of friends, you need new friends.

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely. Lead Upside.


mobile-LM-right-headshotLisa Marie Platske left her action-packed life as a Federal law enforcement officer to become the CEO of international leadership training company, Upside Thinking, Inc.

Known for her high energy, Lisa Marie is an award-winning leadership and connection expert who takes her law enforcement journey which began on the piers of New York and ended post 9/11 and shares what exceptional leaders do differently and how you can apply it to increase your impact, influence and income, why connection is the new currency, and how to be positioned as an expert in order to seize bigger opportunities.

As a certified master coach, Lisa Marie has worked with corporate executives and multimillion dollar business owners to start-ups from 3 different continents and in 20+ different industries (healthcare, public utilities, aerospace, real estate, finance, and insurance etc.) to build strategies to be seen, heard, and recognized for their work.

With a BS in Criminal Justice and a MA in Human Resources Training and Development , Lisa Marie provides a unique perspective on what it takes to lead to succeed, the formula for her annual Leadership Success Summit — www.LeadershipSuccessSummit.com.

Her first book, Designing Your Destiny, has been hailed as “life-changing” by clients and colleagues alike and she has been featured in the book Speaking of Success next to speaking giants Blanchard and Canfield, as well as in countless magazines and radio shows. In August 2011, she released Connection: The New Currency, a collaborative project with a group of highly-talented women connectors and Turn Possibilities into Realities became a best-seller in March 2015.

Often recognized for her leadership, vision, creativity, and service, Lisa Marie received the 2010 Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion of the Year, the 2008 FYN Woman of the Year Award, and the 2007 National Association of Female Executives’ Woman of Excellence Award.