Leadership Lessons from My Mom: The Power of Being For Each Other

This Easter was my first without my mom.

I didn’t light a candle. But I cried. I reflected deeply. And I wrote a tribute on her Facebook profile — words I needed to say, even if she couldn’t read them.

She passed away exactly nine months before Easter.

That timing hit me hard.

Nine months — the span of new life. It’s also been a time of deep grieving, remembering, and growing.

This spring, I’m moving back into my childhood home — the one she poured her love into.

Not just to live there… but to honor her legacy.

As I’ve processed my grief, I’ve found myself returning to one of the most meaningful leadership principles I share through The Collaborative Way®: Being For Each Other.

My mom didn’t always model what we might call “generous listening.” But she did model unwavering care.

She was always being for me.

She believed in me. She showed up. She offered her quiet presence in the background of every major step I took — especially when things felt hard.

That’s leadership, too.

Leadership isn’t always loud.

It’s not about titles or the spotlight.

Sometimes it’s about being steady, being present, and choosing to believe in someone — even when they forget how to believe in themselves.

As I coach legal professionals, women leaders, and teams through the complex, emotional terrain of leadership, I carry her with me.

And as I return home to the house she once cared for, I know I’m still learning from her.

Who in your life modeled that kind of “being for”?

What would it look like to offer that to someone else today?