Ashleen embodies the idea that good leaders make you believe in them, but great leaders make you believe in yourself. By consistently elevating those around her and bringing out their best, she’s a people-first leader who measures success by the growth and confidence of the people in her life, showing that how you show up for others is what truly matters.
How do you define success, and what drives you to achieve that?
Success to me is different for each person. I look at success as goal setting, whether it be professional or personal, achieving the goal, and moving on to the next one. I also feel success is a part of how you develop those around you. I love watching my team grow into larger roles, take on new responsibilities and challenges and achieving those goals, then moving to the next one. Coaching and developing has also been something I love to do, and I feel success is shown from that as well. I don’t have one specific thing that drives me to be successful, I just get joy in watching others succeed and it continues to push me to develop myself to be a better leader.
What's your proudest achievement?
What leadership qualities are important to you?
1) Transparency – I am a firm believer in being open and honest, regardless of the situation, while still having the ability to provide guidance and support.
2) Willingness to Develop – Growth is important, not only to myself, but for any team as well, and I truly believe when leaders invest in other leaders, the opportunities for team and organizational success are endless.
3) Ability to meet others where they at – Adapting to surroundings, people, and understanding your audience.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
1) Transparency – I am a firm believer in being open and honest, regardless of the situation, while still having the ability to provide guidance and support.
2) Willingness to Develop – Growth is important, not only to myself, but for any team as well, and I truly believe when leaders invest in other leaders, the opportunities for team and organizational success are endless.
3) Ability to meet others where they at – Adapting to surroundings, people, and understanding your audience.
How has your perception changed over the years?
2021 was an extremely rough year for myself and my family. We lost my brother unexpectedly at his young age of 36 and I truly believe it has forever changed how I view life, goals, and my overall impact on people. My brother was the one of the best people I knew, along with just being an overall good and kind human, and loss like that has a deep impact on how you handle situations moving forward. Grief is a funny thing and hits you in moments you aren’t prepared for. My brother was my best friend, and prior to losing him, I had a different outlook on my decisions, relationships, both work and personal, and how I saw the world. After his passing, instead of allowing the grief to negativity impact me, my mother and I started a dog rescue in his name to honor his memory, but to also carry on his love for life, people, and animals. The impact the rescue has on people has helped shaped me into someone who is more dialed in to myself, taking the time to dive deeper into understanding how my actions can affect others, and taking a continued active approach to be better every day, for my children, my family, my friends, but my peers as well. It continues to impact me every day, and I hope the volunteering and community continues to push me to be a better person.
What’s a constant theme in your life?
Not allowing the struggles in life impact how you push forward. Life can throw many unexpected positives and negatives at you, but only you can control what you do with those experiences. I truly believe every situation is an opportunity or life lesson, and the universe is constantly challenging us to evolve more each day. I have truly learned, if you do not have the ability to adapt and be flexible, life will leave you behind. I also believe in kindness to everyone and everything. We have no idea what someone else is going through, but a little bit of kindness in this world, can change someone’s day or experience and we can only hope they pass that along. The world needs more people just to be kind.
Ashleen is proof that John Wooden was right: happiness begins where selfishness ends. Reach out to Ashleen directly at Ashleen.Aimes@LewisMC.com to learn more about getting involved with her dog rescue or share your own stories to honor the memory of someone you’ve lost.
Rosie Lewis is the Corporate Marketing Manager at The Lewis Group of Companies. A Claremont native who enjoys hiking, yoga, and developing her green thumb, Rosie also appreciates quality alone time.