Ginny Baro, Ph.D., had more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience before becoming a certified professional coach through the International Coach Federation. Now a motivational speaker, executive coach, career strategist, and #1 bestselling author, she’s teaching professionals how to become exceptional leaders. Baro will share her strategies for success in a special presentation at The RISE National Women in Health Care Leadership Summit, which will be held as a virtual event.

A non-English speaking immigrant in the United States, at age 14 Baro felt pressure to catch up with her peers. Pouring herself into her education, she opened the door to opportunities for herself time and time again. After two decades as a corporate leader, she’s on a mission to share the tactics she used to help individuals and their teams reach their full potential.

“I felt that leaders set the tone for an organization, and I noticed that there were quite a few leaders in those roles that were not well-equipped. Many people are not ill-intended, they merely don’t have the tools,” says Baro, who will be a speaker on day two of The RISE National Women in Health Care Leadership Summit, virtually, on October 29-30.

Here are some of the topics she plans to cover during her presentation:

How to develop a unique value proposition

Understanding what you bring to the table is essential to your personal and professional development, says Baro. “If you don’t understand your value in the marketplace, how are you going to position yourself powerfully within it so that you and your company can thrive?” she says.

Once you know the value of your contributions and how that helps you fulfill the mission of your organization, you immediately boost your self-confidence, according to Baro. Also, focusing on your strengths rather than weaknesses will ignite a growth mindset, she says.

“There are always two piles in front of us: the pile of stuff we lack and the pile of stuff that we have. And we have this tendency to focus on the stuff we lack.”

Baro’s insight for staying out of this negative headspace is to understand the need for growth. “This training is about helping you identify your unique value and developing the type of mindset, a growth mindset, that is going to enable you to make whatever changes are required- this year, in the next 10 or 20 years, depending on how much time you have left in the workforce,” she says.

Above all, Baro says, don’t ignore your inner voice.

“If you feel something, if you’re thinking something, there’s a reason for it. If you’re thinking you could be doing more, guess what? You can. If you’re thinking you could be contributing at a higher level, having a more significant impact, guess what? You can. Don’t ignore your thoughts. Don’t ignore your ambitions and your desires- they’re there for a reason. And they’re there to challenge you,” she says.

How to create your personal brand

Baro also stresses the importance of developing your personal brand, something every person has but may not be thinking of consciously. “Your personal brand, the easiest way that I can describe it, is what people say about you when you leave the room. That’s your personal brand,” she says. “How you show up, how you manage yourself, how you treat others, and how you build relationships, that’s all part of your personal brand.”

Each of these factors feeds into your emotional intelligence, another topic that Baro will address in her presentation. There are four components to emotional intelligence, she says, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Growth within each of these four areas takes you to the next level as a person and, in turn, the next level as a professional, she says.

The need to build a robust network

A strong network is something you can cultivate and leverage as you look to grow and develop, according to Baro. “I believe business and life is all about relationships,” she says. Throughout her presentation, Baro will share tools on how to build a strong network of people in both your career and personal life. “We can’t do this alone – especially if you’re in leadership,” she says.

“My goal is to inspire the audience and to help them see the macro-view and why this is all relevant to them and their organization. And I often say, as a leader, it always starts with us. We need to do the work. And once we do the work, we’re able to then pass that down to our teams, to our families, to our friends, by simply being the role model. How? By living in that space and showing them how it’s done- how we communicate, how we show up authentically, how we understand their needs, our needs and can productively articulate them. It’s a whole different way of living,” she says.

Baro will deliver her presentation, “Developing Your Personal Value Proposition,” at 10:10 a.m. on Friday, October 30 during The RISE National Women in Health Care Leadership Summit. Click here to see the full agenda.