103: The simplest form of being a leader is having a positive influence on others

Leslie Weldon is the Deputy Chief for Natural Forest System with the USDA Forest Service. In this role, she is the executive responsible for national policy and oversight and direction for Natural Resource programs. Leslie has always wanted to get into forestry and credits her time in the girl scouts in Japan for introducing her to the outdoors. Find out more about Leslie's thoughts on leadership and key lessons she's learned in her career on today's show!   Key Takeaways: [:55] A message from Leadership Nature. [1:35] A quick intro about Leslie's background. [3:35] How did Leslie get into forestry and natural resources? [8:35] While in university, she wasn't able to get a forest service job until a couple of summers later. Leslie shares her experience of how she was able to get into forestry. [15:35] Leslie was apart of a program called 'Raise to the Future' and describes what it was like to work with other federal agencies. [18:50] What was it like being a District Ranger? [25:55] What leadership lessons has Leslie learned over the years? [31:45] Our changing climate has given the natural resources industry a wide range of challenges to solve. [33:20] What is Leslie most proud of so far? [38:25] Leslie's family still isn't 100% sure what she does for a living! [41:00] What's it like managing different levels of leadership roles? [45:05] Turn your challenges into opportunities. [49:15] Take some time to pause and reflect on your life and decisions. Make 'time' your friend.   Mentioned in This Episode: US Forest Service: https://www.fs.fed.us Rise to the Future Program: https://www.fs.fed.us/biology/fish/fish.html Conservation Service Corps Programs: http://21csc.org On the call to Holiness in today's world by Pope Francis