How Frog-Kissing Leadership Creates Legacy Teams

"Your success isn’t just about what you can do—it’s about who you can build."

Legacy leadership is about more than strategy and systems. It’s about the people you choose to trust, develop, and rise with.

That’s what I call “frog kissing”: the ability to see value before it’s refined and call greatness out before it’s proven. It’s leadership that empowers, not overshadows.


I’ve lived both sides. I’ve been the one who was overlooked—too much, too loud, too ambitious. And I’ve also led others who reminded me of my younger self: full of fire, rough around the edges, but oozing with potential. The difference? I had to choose: kiss or squash.


The most powerful decision I’ve ever made in business was to build people, not just profit. Because here’s what I’ve learned: when you empower people to rise in their lane, they help you rise in yours.


Take Dawn, my childcare business co-owner. Her genius lies in faith-based curriculum and classroom development—things that don’t excite me but set her soul on fire. I honor her brilliance because when she wins, we all win. That’s purposeful collaboration, not competition.

Trying to outshine each other would kill our momentum. Instead, we thrive because we’re secure enough to stay in our lanes. Our differences aren’t a threat—they’re our strength.

Frog-kissing leadership requires humility. It asks you to step back when needed, to submit to someone else's expertise, to build a table where different strengths are celebrated, not silenced.

And let’s be honest—it’s risky. People will disappoint you. Some will leave. Others will never fully see you. But that doesn’t mean you stop leading with vision.

You don’t need to knock another woman’s crown off just to feel like yours is straight.

Rise above that noise. Build a business where trust is built, not broken. Where calling is cultivated, not crushed.

This kind of leadership will cost you—your pride, your comfort, maybe even a few friends who were more loyal to your limits than your growth.

But it will also reward you—deep, meaningful partnerships. Fierce loyalty. A legacy that lives beyond your presence in the room.

Your job isn’t to do it all. It’s to build the team who will do it with you. Because the real flex isn’t control—it’s collaboration.

So, next time a “frog” walks through your doors, don’t miss their royalty because you’re too focused on the rough edges. Choose to be the leader who sees what others overlook. Choose to build legacy—not alone, but together.

Call to Action:

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