Inspirational Women – Gail Kelly
First of all, if you haven’t heard of Gail Kelly, well she was the first female CEO of Westpac and in 2010 she was listed by Forbes as the eight most powerful woman in the world. Wow! Funnily she was sandwiched between Lady Gaga at number seven and Beyoncé at number nine. At that time Hillary Clinton was number five.
Recently I was lucky enough to attend a business leaders breakfast and Gail Kelly was the guest speaker. Yes, she was there to spruik her book – Live Lead Learn but wow what a great speaker she is. She kept me engaged the whole time and not once did my mind wander off.
Gail’s book is her stories of life and leadership. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a happy and fulfilling life, not just those who are wanting to achieve dizzying career heights. So much of it is about your attitude and doing your absolute best with everything, as well as remembering that in business it’s about the customer and family comes first.
As a person who recently launched a start-up online business making Swarovski crystal sandals (www.ankalia.com) I am learning a lot of life lessons from Gail’s book, as well as learning you can achieve your goals through hard work and the right attitude. Gail started her working life as a Latin Teacher and she started her banking career in South Africa as a bank teller. To move countries and to rise to the top of the banking world in another country is an amazing achievement.
Image: Ankalia.com Swarovski crystal sandals and Gail Kelly book Live Lead Learn
The first two paragraphs in Gail’s book really grabbed me. They go something like this: “There is no passion to be found playing small- in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” She goes on to say “Don’t play small. Good is not good enough. Follow your passion. Back yourself. Be yourself. Love what you do. You are capable of way more than you think you are.” This will be one of my mantras from here on.
Image: Ankalia.com Swarovski crystal sandals and Gail Kelly book Live Lead Learn
Thank you for inspiring me Gail Kelly.
Lots of love,
Cheryl xx
