It all started with a dill pickle and an underwear drawer.
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Okay, the situation actually started before said pickle and said drawer. And I was the instigator.
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Turning back the clock to when I was about ten years old, I keenly recall having a heated brouhaha with my oldest sister Mary Ann. I don’t remember the reason for the quarrel but it most likely had something to do with her wielding a dose of big-sister power over me that didn’t sit well on my end.
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What happened next was not my finest moment.
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Rather than cool down from the conflicted situation or seek the advice of my parents, I snuck into the kitchen, cracked open the refrigerator and snatched up a big gherkin out of the pickle jar. I then slithered onward to our bedroom, opened Mary Ann’s underwear drawer and planted the pickle front and center. Oh, I felt vindicated. That is, until she discovered the green giant of a pickle first thing the next morning – with a loud scream. I guess there could have been a better way to deal with my frustration from our argument.
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So what’s my point? We humans are equipped with basic feelings that include fear, sadness, anger, happiness and surprise. Keeping them in check is a must do. The emotional intelligence company TalentSmart conducted research with more than a million people as subjects, and found that 90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.
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As a business owner and a leadership coach, I know all too well that positively channeling one’s emotions is an essential skill for both career and life success. How can we lead others if we cannot lead ourselves in times of stress, conflict and difficulty?
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Here are four practical strategies for managing our emotions:
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1. When an upsetting event occurs, stop and take deep breaths for at least a minute or two instead of blurting out or acting out. Becoming unglued or saying the wrong thing is the result of reacting rather than responding.

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2. We have absolute power to manage our actions, words and behaviors. Losing control of our emotions means giving up our power to another person or situation.

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3. Conflict and disappointment are a part of life. How we respond to them reflects our true character. Decide to take the high road when challenges occur (and they will occur!).

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4. We all have needs. When one of your emotional buttons is pushed, do your best to remain calm. Articulate your needs rather than point fingers at others.

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I am a huge advocate of teaching children how to positively channel and work through their emotions. Imagine how our homes and businesses would improve with a focus on skills training in this area. One thing is for sure, had I honed my emotional acumen early on, I would have responded to that argument with my sister on a higher level – sans pickle.
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Here’s wishing you peace and productive emotions!
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Kathleen DuBois is president of Progressity, Inc., a strategic marketing firm based in Washington, DC and Charleston, WV specializing in small businesses and large nonprofits. Visit them on the web at Progressity.com.

Together, the Tamarack Foundation-Progressity duo were able to bring into existence a visually stimulating web site that offers ease of use for the visitors, simple content management by the Artisans and graceful administrative tools for the Foundation. The functionality also allows Artisans to share their information and business locations.

Throughout the course of the project, Progressity worked collaboratively with Sally Barton and her team at the Tamarack Foundation to merge ideas and features into an original website that ties in some of today’s more custom features including Facebook Authentication and Google Maps.

We were pleased after our initial launch when the Tamarack Foundation approached us again with a follow-up project, “West Virginia Arts Trail”. This feature on their site allows visitors to create a “Trail” of Artisans and display the optimized route to visit those Artisans using Google Maps. Each Artisan list is custom for every visitor. Access is maintained by simply using an email or Facebook Authentication.

Throughout the Tamarack Artisan Foundation enterprise, our team been able to leverage our experiences from previous projects, streamline that knowledge into simple, yet very functional, features and implement these attributes out of client- born ideas. Together, we created a tapestry of features that enable Artisans to exhibit their creations, promote their businesses and provide visitors to this site a state-of-the-art route and guidance to tour their favorites.

Whether you are searching for a particular art medium or are a participating Artisan, TamarackFoundation.org we hope you find this site to be very compelling and visually pleasing.

Progressity is very grateful to be an on-going contributor to the chemistry of the important work at Tamarack Foundation. They are truly changing lives, one Artisan at a time!

Harry Morgan | Lead Programmer for Progressity, Inc.

As Summer 2014 winds down, I wanted to share some updates:

• I am now living in and working full-time from Washington, DC in order to further unleash new opportunities.
• The Progressity office in Charleston, West Virginia remains open for business. Our creative director extraordinaire, Michael Teel, is running the day-to-day of the Charleston office. I am returning to West Virginia every other month for meetings.
• Speaking of Michael Teel, his painting skills continue to take off like a rocket. He will be the featured artist this Thursday, August 21, at The Charleston Ballet for Artwalk. Also, the Art Emporium has booked Michael for a September 2015 show in their gallery.
• Progressity’s core business continues to center around our five unique processes:

1. The Strategic Roadmap (Powerful business growth strategy)
2. The Identity Builder (Logos, websites, print and electronic materials)
3. The Communication Matrix (Key messaging and public relations)
4. The npCounsel (Helping nonprofit clients unleash prosperity)
5. The Accountability Coach (Without action, great plans will flop).

•  As for me, in addition to leading our firm and serving clients, I continue to write and teach on the power of unleashing inner potential through positive, productive thoughts, words and actions. My weekly Monday Motivation messages have been going strong since 2009. I continue to be inspired by the common desire of people all over the globe to live a better life.

Countless individuals and businesses have been vital to Progressity’s exciting evolution. Chances are, if you are reading this blog post you are one of them. On behalf of our entire team, I’d like to thank you for your support!

When the Conference Board released its 2013 report on job satisfaction among U.S. workers, the findings were gloomy. Only 47.3 percent of respondents reported being satisfied with their jobs. Here’s the rub, the 5,000 U.S. homes surveyed represented a diverse cross-section of the population, which indicates that job dissatisfaction spans all ranks and pay scales.

Imagine that: not even half of people working in the U.S. are satisfied with their jobs. What a wake-up call that something needs to change!

Unhappiness at work often wafts (or barrels) into other areas of life. I’d like to offer some practical lessons to help you do your part in boosting inspiration among your workforce.

The truth is, an inspired workplace requires commitment from both employees and employer. Leaders can be proactive, instigating a positive corporate culture, or they can be reactive, tiptoeing around problems and de-motivating their troops. The key is to cultivate the right ingredients to help employees achieve success.

1. True Motivation Comes from Within

There are two schools of thought on human motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. I have found when it comes to workplace productivity and innovation, the highest achievers arrive on the scene equipped from within. They not only possess a great skill set, they have a can-do attitude and are a champion of their employer’s mission and culture.

Great employees have a positive attitude. They take initiative and aren’t afraid of taking responsibility for their results. Unmotivated employees wait to be told what to do. They blame others rather than take responsibility for their actions.

2. Hire Motivated People

As Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says, “Get the right people on the bus.”

You might be asking yourself, “How do I hire motivated employees?” In the recruiting process, look at a candidate’s track record for success. During the interview, try to get a sense of their enthusiasm and attitude as well as skills and experience. Carefully observe not only their verbal responses but also their body language and nonverbal cues. Be mindful of whether or not they ask great questions. Trust your instincts.

When you check references, whether hiring an executive or a support staff member, seek examples of how a person’s energy and attitude has influenced others. Conduct a pre-hire attitude survey, if possible. There are a number of great tools on the market that can help.

Taking the time to hire can-do people will certainly provide a return on investment.

3. Practice Honesty and Compassion

A workplace culture of honesty and compassion is powerful. Employees deserve respect and so do you. But often we fret about hurting employees’ feelings. We fail to be honest with them about their mistakes because we are afraid to have uncomfortable conversations. All the while, profits and customer satisfaction ratings are flying out the window.

Growth is hindered when we aren’t honest and direct with employees. Integrity is compromised and the company’s bottom line may be negatively affected. When I was a young manager, I had an employee who would go into the supply room after lunch and take naps (her co-workers clued me in). She even brought slippers to make herself more comfy during snooze time! I mustered up the courage to respectfully convey that her habit didn’t align with our strong work ethic. I gave the snoozer an opportunity to change her behavior and strengthened the morale of my team in the process.

Do you need to have a difficult conversation with an employee? Here’s a four-step process that can help:

• Express your points quickly and stick to the facts. If necessary, write out your thoughts beforehand. Speak from your perspective and use phrases such as, “I noticed that…” or “I have a need for…” Do not blame, criticize or judge.
• Deliver your feedback calmly and respectfully.
• Conduct your conversation in a private, distraction-free place.
• Give the employee a chance to respond and an opportunity to remedy the situation.

If you have compassion and expectations for a productive outcome, it will make a difference. As John Maxwell touts, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much your care.”

4. Practice the Art of Coaching vs. Telling

A wonderful Chinese Proverb says, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

A coach draws out a person’s innate ability, skill and knowledge. Those who lead with a coaching perspective encourage their employees to contribute. They ask important questions such as, “How do you think the problem could be solved?”

Corporate coaching is one of the fastest growing fields in business because it is effective. I love coaching executives to be the best they can be. In turn, then they can help bring out the best in their employees.

Barking orders at your team members gets you sketchy, short-term results. In contrast, coaching unleashes long term potential. Your only cost is time. And investing time demonstrates you care.

5. Implement a Culture of Leading vs. Managing

I admire the work of author, Warren Bennis. In his book “On Becoming a Leader,” he describes his view of the differences between managers and leaders as follows:

• The manager administers; the leader innovates.
• The manager maintains; the leader develops.
• The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
• The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
• The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.
• The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
• The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
• The manager always has his or her eye on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon.
• The manager imitates; the leader originates.
• The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
• The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
• The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

This insightful list always causes me to pause and reflect on my own behavior and ask, “How am I spending most of my time? Leading or managing?”

6. High Performance Begins with High Expectations

It is essential for leaders and managers to set high, understandable expectations for their employees before and after the hiring deal is inked.

If an employee’s performance is not contributing to goals improving the bottom line of your organization, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Did I set clear and high expectations for the individual?” Your answer, “yes” or “no,” will spark the required steps for improvement.

Think about the processes you have in place to support the motivation of your employees. Do you engage them in defining their own goals? Do you allow them to be a partner in setting measures of success? Do you challenge them to think big?

Three strategies are essential for high performance:

• An annual corporate goal setting process whereby key outcomes are shared with all employees.
• An annual individual goal setting meeting whereby employees are truly engaged and held accountable (their goals must align with those of the company).
• A documented outline of who’s responsible for what by when. There is nothing like a written deadline to move people into action. I call this the Accountability Matrix.

7. Invest in Building Relationships

We all have a primal need to connect with others.

True connections help you relate to a person on more than a superficial level. Call it rapport, but it is more than just that. It is an authenticity and genuine desire to see past what the person can do for you, to actually seeing who they are. This is not always easy to do. However, developing authentic connections can produce substantial rewards, both professionally and personally.

A few years ago, I hosted a teaching call with Dr. Ivan Misner, the founder of Business Networking International. BNI is the largest networking organization in the world and Dr. Misner is a master at positively connecting with others.

During our conversation, Dr. Misner shared his perspective on the top four traits of people who keenly connect with others:

First, people who have the ability to really connect enjoy helping others. Think about it, one of the easiest ways to connect with an employee or a group of employees is to lend them a helping hand.

The second trait Dr. Misner highlights is trustworthiness. If you don’t have trust in a relationship, you don’t have a relationship. End of story. When we demonstrate that we can be trusted, employees and colleagues have an easier time connecting with us.

The third trait is someone who follows up. Suppose you promised an employee to participate in a one-on-one meeting and told them you would get back to them with a date. If you want to strengthen your connection, follow through and do what you said you were going to do.

Finally, the fourth trait of someone who is a good at building connections is that of being a good listener. Doesn’t it feel great when people actually listen to us and get what we are saying? If you want to enhance your ability to connect with employees, sharpen your listening skills. Start today.

I would like to add my own fifth trait to this list of qualities. I believe that individuals who have the ability to engage with others are generally kind and polite. It’s a simple concept, but how many people in the workforce these days throw manners out the door? Rude and disrespectful behavior can be an incredible de-motivator in the workplace. But when we act with kindness, it has the opposite effect. We encourage positivity and cultivate relationships.

So there you go, seven concepts to foster an inspired workplace. To recap, the tips outlined in this article are:

1. True motivation comes from within.
2. Hire motivated people.
3. Practice honesty and compassion.
4. Foster the art of coaching vs. telling.
5. Implement a culture of leading vs. managing.
6. High performance begins with high expectations.
7. Invest in building relationships.

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Kathleen J. DuBois is president of Progressity, Inc., a full-service marketing strategy and design firm. She is the author of Monday Motivation: 52 lessons for living the best year of your life. Kathleen can be contacted at kathleen@progressity.com.

Practicing Disciplines Today That Will Lead to Success Tomorrow

Everyone wants to be thin, but no one wants to diet. Everybody wants money, but not many people want to work long hours or to follow a budget. Lots of people would like a nice yard or garden, but few want to pull weeds.

The common denominator of success is discipline—forming the habit of doing things that the vast majority of people neglect to do. Individuals don’t accidentally stumble upon greatness. Even those who suddenly gain fame have usually worked hard all of their lives to become an “overnight success.” What we do on some great occasion depends on who we already are; and who we are is the result of previous years of discipline.

It’s fine to praise the quality of discipline, but the real question is where practice to discipline on a daily basis. It’s especially critical for leaders to be disciplined in the following areas:

1) Thinking

Make a point to discipline yourself to think about your values and priorities every day. Values provide you with direction, guiding your decision-making. Meanwhile, priorities give you focus, directing how you spend your time.

Poor thinkers are slaves to their surroundings. On the other hand, leaders make a habit of examining their world and contemplating ways to make it better. Their ideas and insights make them valuable and sought-after teammates.

2) Relationships

Make the decision to cultivate relationships and invest in them daily. You’ll enjoy life more when you share it with others, and you’ll go the farthest in life when you partner with people who genuinely care about you.

3) Talent

Daily choose to strengthen and sharpen your natural abilities, for they can open avenues to unique areas of influence. People don’t pay attention to what’s average, but they will pay both respect and rewards to individuals with exceptional skills.

4) Finances

Make sacrifices and live within your means today so that you can have financial options tomorrow. Avoid debt. While money may not make you happy, owing money is certain to make you miserable. Moreover, give generously. The purpose of wealth isn’t to spoil yourself but to serve those in need.

5) Health

Make the decision to know and follow healthy guidelines daily. Eat in moderation, and exercise regularly. Also, strike a balance between accomplishment and rest. Leaders have ambition, at times too much, and they can run themselves ragged trying to chase down career goals. As John Wanamaker said, “People who cannot find time for recreation are obligated sooner or later to find time for illness.” Be sure to handle stress effectively so that the pressures of leading don’t wear down your body. Taking proper care of yourself gives you the physical strength and mental wellbeing to tackle the demands of leadership.

Summary

If you commit to a set of daily disciplines, eventually you’ll reach a point in life at which you’re absolutely astounded by all the good you have been able to accomplish. In that moment, it will be crystal clear that you didn’t do it in a day but that you did it every day. By doing the right things daily, year after year, one day you will receive reward and recognition for them.

As we work through the travails of our daily lives, we can sometimes miss out on what’s really important.
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It’s the simple things in life that are the most significant. Watching your children do their homework and realizing that maybe, just maybe, they will probably end up smarter and more accomplished than you. Seeing the pride in their eyes as they present their mid-semester grades. Having dinner at the table as a family and actually talking about each other’s day. Watching your dog watch you as you eat your dinner and understanding how much he depends on you.
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I was recently reviewing some of the projects that Progressity has completed over the last 18 months. It’s amazing to reflect upon the clients that we’ve helped and the quality of work we’ve developed for and with them, as partners. Helping our clients reach their goals helps us reach ours—to provide service that makes a difference.
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Something we can all strive for is feeling that we’ve done our best. Looking at not only the results of our labor, but how that labor has benefited clients and customers. At Progressity, we’re not focused on invoices, deposits and financial gains. Although those things are important, we truly want to create a sense of partnership with clients. Our intent is to always form meaningful relationships and show that we care. Hopefully those feelings are mutual.
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So far, 2013 has been a great year for us and we are grateful. Progressity has expanded into the Washington, DC market. Our CEO, Kathleen, has been hard at work developing new business relationships there – traveling back and forth between Charleston and WDC every couple of weeks and always with a smile and determined heart. Sometimes she doesn’t have the time to “take it all in”, but at the end of the day as Kathleen and our team look at where we’ve been and where we’re going, the journey is worth the effort.

I have this burning belief that leadership is not a title – that it’s a calling unleashed from within.
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Most people think of leaders as being elected officials or senior level persons in their organization. The truth is that our world is filled with countless people of positive influence who grace our presence every day. As an example, school bus drivers, grocery store clerks and even my firm’s Fed Ex delivery guy are all powerful leaders in my mind.
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U.S. President John Quincy Adams is famously noted for saying, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
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I have come to learn that true leadership stems from the heart with a desire to create positive change. A leader can be someone of any age.
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Last year, I had the privilege of mentoring four college students who were from China and studying in the U.S. They wanted to get involved in community service so I arranged for them to volunteer at a local homeless shelter and cook dinner for 60 some residents. My students diligently planned the menu and grocery shopped. It was a sight to watch them prepare the multi-course meal as if they were cooking for royalty. I could clearly observe that each of these students poured their heart into helping those less fortunate. Their leadership abilities were primed. As a result, each of the four students inspired the shelter residents before my very eyes.
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I have observed that leaders share certain characteristics that include:
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1)      Vision

2)      Curiosity—they like to ask “Why?”

3)      The ability to think independently

4)      A strong desire from deep within their heart to inspire and help others

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Successful leaders have the discipline to focus on things they’re great at and love to do. This allows them to maximize their positive influence in the world.
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Leaders continually work to be their best. They have passion, surround themselves with the right people, set personal and professional goals, and seek out mentors and coaches. And they look for opportunities to take others to a higher level. Author and speaker, Bob Burg said, “Your ability to influence is based on how effectively you place other people’s interests before your own.”
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Everyone at any age has the potential to be an influential leader. It simply requires an open heart and an intentional game plan that takes others to a higher level. Think about it.
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Kathleen DuBois is an entrepreneur, author and leadership coach. She is president of Progressity, Inc., a strategic marketing and graphic design firm with offices in Washington, DC and Charleston, West Virginia. Check out the firm at www.progressity.com.

• Self-awareness – our ability to perceive our emotions and understand our tendencies to act in certain ways in given situations

• Social awareness – our ability to understand the emotions of other people, what they are thinking and feeling

• Self-management – our ability to use awareness of our emotions to stay flexible and direct our behavior positively and constructively

• Relationship management – our ability to use our awareness of our own emotions and those of others to manage interactions successfully

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Some of us are born with a great deal of emotional intelligence; others are not. Most of us are not aware of how our emotions may be adversely affecting our thinking and our reactions. The good news is that we can learn to increase our emotional intelligence. We can take an online assessment to determine our EQ, our level of emotional intelligence. I recommend doing this, as the skills we can measure are the ones we can best improve.
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When we gain in our effective use of emotional intelligence, we will increase our ability to develop more solid, trusting relationships in our business arena. Relationships are so important to our success in business, and not just our relationships with clients.  Our internal relationships – the ones we have with our colleagues and team members – are also critically important. They can make or break us!  The quality of our internal relationships determines the effectiveness of our organizational cultures.
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In my experience, the most productive organizational cultures are those with women active in senior management. Why? Women, on average, have an overall emotional intelligence that is four points higher than men’s. In fact, women generally score higher on self-management, social awareness and relationship management, while our scores on self-awareness tend to be equal.  Also, women’s relationship skills build trust and collaboration. For this reason, I strongly believe that business leadership is most effective when shared between women and men.  We have different natural leadership strengths, and combining our talents significantly strengthens our business cultures.
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Think this is important?  You bet it is. Yet most companies continue to be run predominantly by men. I absolutely know that financial results in this economy would improve substantially with shared leadership.
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Recent research by TalentSmart, a recognized leader in the emotional intelligence field, shows that 85% of business people do not feel respected and valued by their employer. This has a massive negative effect on our organizational cultures.  Yet, do you think these bosses know their people do not feel appreciated or valued? Not likely!
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We will all benefit from being much more aware of the impact of emotional intelligence. From now on, let’s:–

• Promote people to management positions because of how effective they will be as leaders, not because of what they know and how long they have worked. One may be very good at sales or information technology, but effective leadership requires a different set of skills.  Does the person realize that they want to develop these skills and accept that it is no longer about him; it’s now about the team?
• Recognize that emotional intelligence is more important to job performance than any other leadership skill. It is said that our emotional intelligence is more than twice as important as our technical knowledge.

• Work to improve our emotional intelligence competencies.  The path to success is to strive for continuous improvement.  If we accept that and realize just how important our “soft” skills are, then we are well on our way to success as a leader and in business. And let’s realize that soft skills may be hard for some of us. That’s okay.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way to improve.

It’s our soft skills that put people at ease, helps them feel appreciated, and enable us to build and maintain solid relationships founded on confidence and trust.
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And yes, being friendly and likable matters, a lot!
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We can all appreciate how much our mood matters. Our mood is contagious. As a leader, if our mood is positive, it ignites a spirit of trust, good energy, collaboration, pride in our work, respect for senior management, and healthy risk taking.
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If our mood is bad, well, we can expect a culture rife with fear, anxiety, high turnover and poor financial results.
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Emotional intelligence is the single best predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. The wonderful book, The Emotional Intelligence 2.0, points out that the more we exercise our emotional intelligence skills, the more we will get out of life. These critical skills drive teamwork and excellent client service.
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My invitation to you is to read the research about emotional intelligence and to make this a priority in your business. I have personally taken an EQ assessment, so I now have a baseline of my emotional intelligence, and I am committed to improving my competencies.
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Take the EQ Assessment

If you’re ready to take the next step toward greater emotional intelligence, I suggest you read The Emotional Intelligence 2.0, by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, PhDs.  This excellent quick read will guide the process for you as well as offer suggestions for personal developments plans.
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As an example of the self-development strategies these authors suggest, let’s say we want to improve our social awareness. It is suggested that we practice greeting people by name, listen appreciatively in conversations, go for a 15-minute tour of our office every day, envision ourselves in other people’s shoes, and observe social interactions while watching a movie. These and other recommended practices will sharpen our social awareness and improve our emotional intelligence.
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Our understanding of emotional intelligence will vastly improve our internal relations and deepen our sense of personal fulfillment and professional accomplishment. And stronger internal relations mean a stronger bottom line. High EQ leaders vastly improve the performance of our companies. I hope you will accept the importance of emotional intelligence, and make it a high priority to increase yours.
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About The Author

John Keyser is the founder and principal of Common Sense Leadership, www.commonsenseleadership.com. He works with executives helping them develop organizational cultures that will produce outstanding financial results year after year, and a striving for continuous improvement, theirs and their team’s. His contact information is john@johnkeysercoach.com and 202-236-2800.

The ancient Greek aphorism of “Know thyself” is particularly profound when it comes to leadership success. It is impossible to effectively lead others if we can’t first lead ourselves.

How do you stack up in this area?

Skillful leaders constantly work on uncovering their true self. They have the ability to manage their emotions, achieve great goals, and are conscious of their unique talents and how to maximize them.

Author and speaker, John C. Maxwell, offers these eight questions to assess one’s level of self leadership:

1. Are you investing in yourself?  This question is all about your personal growth. How can you teach what you do not know and take others to where you have not been?
2. Are you genuinely interested in others?  Are you more concerned about other’s agenda than your own? There is nothing worse than a self-centered leader.
3. Are you doing what you love and do you love what you do?  Passion provides the fuel that provides you with the energy to be a great leader.
4. Are you investing time with the right people?  Leaders surround themselves with talented, inspired people who want to make a difference.
5. Are you working in your strength zone?  Leaders are keenly aware of what they are great at and what they love to do and they spend most of their time doing these things.
6. Are you taking others to a higher level?  Leaders help others unleash their inner talents.
7. Are you taking care of today?  Leaders are natural visionaries and they also know how to focus on the daily agenda and priorities at hand.
8. Are you taking time to think?  Great leaders love action. However, they also are talented at disciplining themselves to stop everyday and think creatively.

Regularly checking up on your self leadership abilities allows you to grow and evolve.

As my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Susan Radojevic, recently said, “We change the world by changing ourselves.” Becoming a powerful leader of influence truly stems from the inside out. Think about it.

Kathleen DuBois is an entrepreneur, author and leadership coach. She is president of Progressity, Inc., a strategic marketing and graphic design firm with offices in Washington, DC and Charleston, West Virginia. Check out the firm at www.progressity.com.