Women and men are equally capable as leaders, but women have been trained to be nice. Being nice can take us only so far then it trips us up. To be effective, we need to reach inside ourselves and realize that just as mothers would walk in front of a bus to save their child, so we each can find a similar passion and commitment that pushes us onward removing fear and doubt so we simply do what we know to be right. Do you have to be born a leader? Have a title? Be a man? A certain age? The answer is: no. Each of us has leadership potential within and when we do our inner work, we can be the leader of our family, company, or community. Failure and mistakes are not generally accepted as the road to success, but they are often our most powerful tools to growth. Read how others, including Abraham Lincoln, used failed attempts to spur them on. Read stories of leaders and find out their secrets. Learn to recognize mercenaries and real leaders, and decide which you want to be. There are challenges throughout the book that provide valuable lessons to enhance your leadership skills. In Feisty & Fearless: Nice Girls CAN Be Leaders: The characteristics of effective leaders 14 Exercises to guide you through your work in becoming a more effective leader Discover that Caring is one of the keys to authentic leadership Read stories of women leaders: An artist who empowers children A successful CEO who puts her family first A divorced mother who reinvented herself to provide for her children An actress turned successful business owner who heals a family rift A child leader A company leader who thinks empowering others is her main job A world-renowned expert and author who puts her ego aside A feminist who lets nothing stop her in her work to have women learn how to be safe "Wow, at last Here is a feminist voice that covers discrimination of all colors and sizes - bigotry against women, Jews, immigrants, having red hair, too little money and too much, fat, bossy. The list is endless." Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of Imperfect Echoes "We all have a back story, the failures and the poor decision making we recognise when we look back on our lives, and Pauline Is refreshingly frank about her own ups and downs. Her determination to step up and show responsibility is a practical manual in leadership skills which will inspire and motivate many women." Karen Abrams Lawyer/Lecturer, U.K."