Leadership Isn’t a Promotion.

A Note from the CEO

This week, I was invited to write for a magazine’s new vertical spotlighting “voices” under 30.

When I’m asked to share my perspective on youth empowerment, intergenerational diversity, chess, or strategic thinking, I’m all in. But I’ll admit, I hesitated at one detail: they called me an emerging leader.

I don’t believe in emerging leaders. 

They don’t exist. 

You are either a leader or you aren’t. It’s as simple as that.

Oddly enough, someone once asked me if being an emerging leader is like being a pawn - waiting until you reach the end of the board to finally become a queen and then be a leader.

Nope.  That’s not how leadership works.

Leadership isn’t a straight climb from pawn to queen.

It’s a messy, unpredictable game. It’s forward moves, backward steps, and sideways pivots. It’s leaps of courage and missteps that teach more than any textbook could.

And none of that (absolutely none of it!) has anything to do with age.

Chess reminds us that every piece has power from the very first move. Pawns aren’t “less than.” They have a role. They have influence. They can control the center, defend, provoke, protect. 

What I’m saying is that the title doesn’t make the leader - the choices do.

So when we talk about leadership, let’s stop pretending it’s something you “graduate into.” Instead, let’s see it for what it is: a mindset, a practice, a willingness to think strategically and act decisively - no matter where you are on the board.

Because whether you’re 17 or 70, sitting at the edge of the chessboard or the head of the table, leadership is already in play.

xx,

Ashley Lynn Priore

Quote of the Week

"You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader." - Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company

Coming Up in the Pod

Kelly Ross on Fearless Leadership, Economic Empowerment, & Building Community The Echo Collective

In this episode of Queen Me, we sit down with Kelly Ross - nonprofit leader, social entrepreneur, and founder of The Echo Collective in Lincoln, Nebraska. Kelly shares the journey behind her mission to uplift immigrant and refugee women through economic independence, community-building, and entrepreneurship. From humble beginnings as an ESL volunteer to launching The Refinery program, Kelly’s work shows how local action can create generational impact - and how stepping past fear can change everything.

Puzzle Solution:

Ba3

Nb5, Bxb2 (Black will get a rook when White tries to take that Queen!)