Thanks for joining the Leading Off the Page community! To get things started we want to introduce the co-founders. Amy and Taylor met during their time as doctoral students at Baylor University. In one of our classes, we were tasked with reading several leadership books and creating personal leadership philosophies based on what we'd read. Now that we're a couple of years post-doc, we realized we had not once looked back at the philosophies we'd written to guide our leadership practices. After all that time, thought, and scholarship, why had we let them collect dust on the shelves of our Google Drives? We'd been reading and learning through a very specific lens when we created these philosophies: students at the end of a doctoral program, reading and processing a different book every two weeks. While we certainly learned from the books and gravitated toward some strategies more than others, we have not truly transferred our knowledge from the page to the real world. Leading Off the Page will be a community where we can once again explore leadership literature with a community of learners, but this time we will slow down, implement the strategies in the real world, and think critically about what strategies best serve us as we develop our leadership philosophies. We welcome anyone and everyone who wants to develop their own leadership philosophies as we learn and grow together! Without further ado, here's a little bit about us.
Tell Me About Yourself...
Taylor: I’m so glad you asked. Actually, I’m not. I never know what to say when people ask me to tell them about myself. This is how it usually goes:
You: Tell me about yourself.
Me: What do you want to know?
You: You tell me!
Me: …
You: …
Me: I was born on a Tuesday at Medical City Dallas….
Okay, it’s not that bad. But, one thing I’ve learned about myself over time is that I value clarity in communication, both as a leader and a follower. If you haven’t read Radical Candor by Kim Scott, it’s a great book about communication and leadership. I believe “Tell me about yourself” is a throwaway prompt we lob at people when we really have more specific things we want to know. It’s a weak conversation starter that appeals to the type of natural networker who has personal elevator speeches prepared for different audiences like actors have a library of monologues ready for any audition situation. When I was an actor, at a moment’s notice I could give you Shakespeare, Shaw, or Kushner; comedy or drama; a dialect piece; a movement piece; 32 bars uptempo or ballad. But ask me to tell you about myself with no direction and you’re going to hear stories about my dogs and nieces.
So, who is Dr. Bunn? And who, what, where, when, why, and how does she lead? And why should you join her on her leading and learning journey with Dr. Britton? Well, I was born on a Tuesday at Medical City Dallas… just kidding. I lead a nonprofit organization I helped found called Hope 4 All. I am a board member for two organizations I love: STEPS with Horses and Stars United Global Outreach. I am a community advisor for LifeLine for Families and serve my community at home as an assistant commissioner on our Historic Preservation Commission. In my free time, I honor my educator heart as an assistant editor for special issues of the Journal of Multicultural Affairs and through my YouTube channel 3-2-1 with Dr. Bunn. I am an aunt, a dog mom, a professional helper, an educator, an advocate, a constant learner, a collaborator, a reader, a leader, an asker of questions, and the friend who thinks about you even when I forget to text you back. I am an open book, and I look forward to sharing my growth and experiences with you on our shared journey.
Amy: Tell me about yourself, is possibly the most common conversation starter at professional networking events, and I struggle with it every time. When asked to tell someone generally about myself, I’m left with a lot of uncertainty about how best to respond concisely and effectively. Not too long ago, while networking and mingling before a fundraising event, a senior leader in our organization introduced me to a “friend.” The person opened the conversation with, “Tell me about yourself…” I was honestly stumped. It wasn’t clear to me then what her relationship was with the executive or our organization. So, when she prompted me to share details about myself, I couldn’t discern what information would be most relevant to her. At that moment, I was challenged as a leader because I knew how important first impressions are, and I wanted to share something engaging and compelling.
The challenge when I’m prompted with “Tell me about yourself,” is that it’s vague. Without a more specific direction, I’m uncertain within what context to respond. When I was introducing myself, I thought, “Why is she asking me this? And how do I tell her everything there is to know about me in the few minutes we have before taking our assigned seats at this event.” I wasn’t sure how best to respond, so… I rambled. I told her about my long tenure in my current position within the organization and that I have dedicated my career to nonprofit service. I described how I am a career fundraiser with over 20 years of experience serving in diverse nonprofit organizations ranging from a $1 million operating budget to $3 billion. I told her about my family life and that I’m a single mom with three boys and a leader in my faith community by serving on the state-level denominational executive board. And I shared that during the COVID-19 pandemic, I completed a doctoral program, so technically, I’m Dr. Mom. As you might guess, this was not quite the strong, engaging first impression I hoped for. We were quickly interrupted when the speaker called the event to order, and we took our seats. It should be no surprise that I’ve not spoken or engaged with her again. For me, I consider this a missed opportunity.
In the future, and now, I’ll respond with something engaging and clarifying like, “Wow, do I have a story to tell! First, tell me what brings you here and what you hope to take from this experience.” Clarifying the question by asking for additional information and context helps me to tailor my introduction to be a more meaningful interaction so we can walk away with a more lasting experience. Having a clear vision and communicating that vision to others is foundational to effective leadership. I think this sheds light on my leadership style. As a leader, I’m process-oriented, data-driven, and purposive with decision-making. I’m always seeking ways to maximize impact, leverage opportunities, and bring greater efficiency to my work.
So, not only does this blog post help you get to know me as a leader, but it is also a great example of taking leadership theory and best practices ‘off the page’ and into real-world leadership scenarios. In that case, this first blog already accomplishes what Taylor and I hoped when we started Leading Off the Page. What are you hoping to gain from joining the Leading Off the Page Community? Let us know in the comments.
But, wait! What do I tell people about myself??
Taylor: As leaders, we are often asked for bios, which is the written equivalent of “So… tell me about yourself!” Y’all, I can’t tell you how long I’ve spent trying to tell you everything about my life and leadership and pursuit of happiness in a reasonable number of words! My friend Dr. Britton, a polished professional, has a polished, professional bio. Hers reflects her sensible demeanor, her expertise in her field, her calm authority in all situations (PS - I’m the president of her fan club and will be her first follower for life.). Mine is a list of jobs and skills I’ve picked up while working and studying in different contexts, compounded into complex sentences peppered with a plethora of punctuation. With every draft, I add in and take out jokes. I rephrase sentences to pack more into less space. I try to make it shorter without leaving anything out. But, still, when being introduced before presentations, the introducer reads out half of it before abandoning ship and skipping to the important part: “This is Dr. Bunn.” So, if you need a little help, here’s what our robot overlords at ChatGPT say to write:
[Your Name] is a [profession/occupation] with [number] years of experience in the field. They have a strong background in [relevant skills/industry] and a proven track record of [notable achievements/awards]. [Your Name] holds a [highest degree or certification] in [field of study] from [educational institution]. Throughout their career, they have demonstrated exceptional expertise in [specific areas of specialization]. Currently, [Your Name] serves as [current role/job title] at [company/organization], where they [briefly describe main responsibilities]. They are known for their [key strengths/traits], such as [list of notable qualities/skills]. In addition to their professional accomplishments, [Your Name] is passionate about [causes/interests related to your field or industry]. They actively [participate/volunteer/contribute] in [relevant activities/organizations] to make a positive impact in their community. [Your Name]'s work has been recognized and featured in [industry publications/media outlets]. They are a sought-after [speaker/consultant/mentor] and have delivered [keynote speeches/workshops] at [industry conferences/events]. Outside of work, [Your Name] enjoys [hobbies/interests]. They believe in the importance of [personal values/beliefs] and strive to maintain a healthy work-life balance. With a relentless commitment to excellence, [Your Name] continues to push boundaries and deliver outstanding results in their field. They are dedicated to [goals/mission] and are constantly seeking new opportunities to [professional growth/impact].
*Side note: The default text for ChatGPT is Roboto, which I think is delightfully on-the-nose.

Amy and Taylor at the Texas NAME Conference, graduating from Baylor University, supporting the Boy Scouts Circle 10 Council, and ending our day with some great leaders after presenting our first conference session on Leading Off the Page!
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