Pull up your C.H.A.I.R. to the Leadership Table!

Stand up and step out from amongst your peers; say what you need to say, in the way that you want to say it, and without having regrets.

Discover the meaning and power behind what you bring to the table. Challenge yourself to reflect on what each definition means to you and how to apply these self-leadership principles to your life and your career. It is time to pull up your chair and change your life!

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress

Whether you see leadership through the lens of business, politics, or nonprofit, it’s a world that’s constantly changing, always evolving … and waits for no one. You know you belong in this world, or perhaps you’re already there.

Using the acronym C.H.A.I.R. this leadership model will help you think outside of the box so that you can “raise your hand” and be noticed.

C.H.A.I.R. stands for:

Champion yourself
Honesty
Adaptability
Impact
Regrets

“Pull Up Your Chair: Five Strategies to Change the Trajectory of Your Career” by Cicely Simpson is an incredibly helpful and intriguing read that truly can, as the book title states, change the trajectory of your career. In my own line of work I found myself feeling a sense of stagnation and desperately wanting more, without having to actually change my career as a whole. Because let’s face it, no one wants to do that if they can at all avoid it! This book offered a ton of insight and advice and really has set the course for helping me make some much needed changes for the better.

The book opens with an amazing quote: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” It essentially means that you have to make your way by yourself wherever you go.

And, this is what the book is about. Make yourself a better leader and get yourself noticed everywhere. The author has shared five strategies which are actually derived from the word “chair.”

Yes, the word CHAIR is actually an acronym that means:
C = Champion Yourself
H = Honesty
A = Adaptability
I = Impact
R = Regrets

Cicely (author) has shared personal stories, tips, and insights to become a better professional no matter where you work.

Besides, the book has an excellent, artistic, and visually attractive cover – tells you a lot about the quality that you’re going to get inside of it!

“Pull Up Your Chair: Five Strategies to Change the Trajectory of Your Career” is 100% recommended to anybody who wants to improve.

Author Cicely Simpson earned her degree in political science from Lipscomb University, her Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, and is the Founder and CEO of Summit Public Affairs, a lobbying firm, and an in demand public speaker and leadership coach. On her website she states, ‘Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.’

The clever title of this book reflects Cicely’s wealth of leadership and experience to ‘guide clients who seek to pull up their chair and set their table of success.’ In her inimitable fashion, she presents her concept of C.H.A.I.R. leadership she has devised and that has made an integral impact on her clients. The five strategies - Champion yourself (track your big wins and small triumphs), Honesty (stay true to yourself and know how you land on people), Adaptability (embrace the unknown), Impact (change the outcome, ask “what if”), and Regrets (‘you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’, etc). Her concept was in reaction to congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s quote “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.””

Having successfully coached clients - and now readers as well – on her CHAIR concept, Cicely encourages us to practice, implement, and master the strategies in this book to not only enhance our business mind but also our social interactions. There is much wisdom in these pages, and it is all accessible to incorporate. Very highly recommended.

The C.H.A.I.R. Program is one of the most unique and intricate concepts I read in quite some time, while some other approaches just focus on what you need to do to become a true leader, this book also deals with what comes afterwards. Champion yourself, Honesty, Adaptability, Impact, Regrets. Those are the steps that we are going in-depth to get the better out of you, as success is not only a one-way road but can also spread to others and it can be achieved by you, your actions and your motivation. This book is so unique in many regards but the more I’m most happy about is that it helps you keep moving forward, way past that momentum and success, that feeling you thought is infinite but can be done at any time, this book helps you capitalize so much within you, that a true leader will just be the start of an unforgettable journey.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cicely is changing the way people understand their roles in their own careers. In her twenty five-year career, Cicely has made her mark on the leadership team in every position she held. Today, she endeavors to show everyone from CEOs to students how they can carve out a permanent space at the table, no matter what direction their career takes.

Cicely is a seasoned public operative, now working with her fourth Presidential Administration. She has also served in prominent roles such as Legislative Director for two Congressmen, and veteran of the C-suite, formerly as Vice President of Government Affairs at Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., formerly as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the restaurant industry, and now as Founder & CEO of Summit Public Affairs. Her experience at all levels of government and expertise in the boardroom allows her to speak with authority on the public and private sectors as well as their countless intersections.