The day after I submitted my application for my current CEO position, I went on a weekend getaway to celebrate this milestone and my upcoming 30th birthday. My husband and I packed up the car and headed to West Virginia, home to some of the best white water rafting in the region. I’ve always been outdoorsy, but hadn’t rafted many times and certainly not recently. Our guide was clearly an adrenaline junkie who seemed trustworthy enough, but also like he wouldn’t be phased in t

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're way better at this than I thought you'd be." As one of my Board members tried to convey a well-intentioned compliment, I realized he was giving me a valuable tool- insight into my own secret weapon. When I became CEO of our organization, I not only became responsible for the results delivered by our staff, I inherited 20 new bosses in the dedicated and diverse volunteers who serve on our Board of Directors. The Board member who made