THE ART OF INFLUENCE: A LIFELONG JOURNEY OF LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP

Abstract

The author has considerable experience in communications, as a journalist and radio/television presenter. She also has an important background in humanitarian endeavors, philanthropy, and as an anti-human-trafficking advocate. She describes the importance of influence in a leadership context: “As leaders, we get things done through others. The more we can perfect our ability to help others become all they can be, and the more we can influence them to use their skills in service to others, the better leaders we will be.” She notes the importance of participating in the Girl Scouts: “I feel I learned more from Scouting than I ever learned in school, and these learnings included values, teamwork, and striving to be all I could be.” Regarding the power of networking, she raises the example of her husband, the late poultry magnate Frank Perdue. Regarding public speaking, she joined the National Speakers Association at the age of 75. She concludes that currently her “focus is on Ukraine. Since I care passionately about the country and its people, and since at age 82, I’ve never seen a greater injustice than what Russia is doing to them, I want to give my all to doing whatever I can to benefit Ukraine.”