BOLD Mission: Debra Boblitt Coaches Leaders to Courageously Pursue Their Calling

Boblitt’s bold move led her to corporate America where she spent nearly three decades as a leader at State Farm Insurance Companies, serving as senior vice president and training leaders before leaving to pursue her portfolio career as a business coach through Boblitt Consulting, LLC.

She encourages others to pay attention to “the tug on your heart that pulls you to something bigger.” Her book, “BOLD Mission: Courageously Pursue Your Calling,” offers a four-step plan to embrace leadership and pursue that dream.

The BOLD Strategy

Boblitt uses BOLD: Believing, Owning, Living and Duplicating, as an acronym and framework to guide those seeking to realize their life’s mission.

“Believing, is about believing in yourself and your calling,” she says.

She helps her clients find their calling by first building their foundation – a strong set of values. “Your values are your priorities. These deep values are things you cannot live without, your non-negotiables. They are critical in determining your passion and once you determine that, there has to be this combination of your values and your passion. Those two always go together.”

The second step, Owning, is where the activity takes place, she says. “You’re doing research. You’re finding other people who do what you want to do and then you are having a conversation with those people. At this point you are actively beginning to feel your mission.”

She writes, “Owning your calling is what makes some people abruptly quit school, buy the ticket to Paris, or push “print” on their letter of resignation.”

The third step, Living, is about embodying the mission in everyday life and sharing it with others. “People watch the way you live,” she writes. “Your choices, particularly as a leader, are visible to others. They see what you put out into the world through your words and your behavior. That’s what living your purpose is. And that, of course, includes the decisions that you make, how you treat people, what your priorities are, who you choose to spend time with, and where you put your money.”

The fourth step is Duplicating. It is about duplicating your efforts to pass on knowledge and inspire others. She writes, “When we have ‘enough’ for ourselves, our job is now to increase that so we can share it with others.”

Boblitt reflects on her time as an executive, where she was known for mentoring and helping others reach the next level. “I knew I could get them there because of my values and my passion. By duplicating our efforts, we can give back so others can become a success.”

Overcoming Fear

Boblitt’s motivation for writing “BOLD Mission” stems from her belief that “the world desperately needs people of character to step out and speak up.” However, she says, fear is the biggest obstacle that holds people back.

“There’s the fear of jumping into something they don’t know, something they’ve never done before. They don’t feel confident, they don’t have the experience and expertise to back that up. And even if they feel it’s their mission in life or their passion, they’re hesitant to jump in.”

In her book, she shares success stories of some individuals she has coached through fear and doubt. She also addresses a common issue, particularly among women: the feeling that it is wrong to want more.

“Gina, even as a little girl, had this sense that she wanted to help people – help them through trauma and issues of their past,” said Boblitt. “She had four children, two sets of twins, one child had special needs. At age 45, she said, ‘This is what I really want to do.’ She went to school and got her degree.”

As Boblitt explains, Gina struggled with questions like, “Do I really leave my family for classes every night? I have to do an internship and then work full time. Am I being selfish by saying, ‘I can be more, I can do more?’”

“Gina had to ask herself, ‘If I don’t do it, who then is not going to benefit from what I can provide?’” said Boblitt. “If you can offer your talents, your gifts, your experience, your expertise to other people and they benefit from that, it’s really not a selfish endeavor, it’s the opposite.”

Integrity: The Cornerstone of Leadership

In “BOLD Mission,” Boblitt outlines 15 essential leadership qualities, offering integrity as the 16th and most important one. “Integrity means making decisions that are right – after looking at the facts and the data – not making decisions to please people,” she said. “That’s what integrity means to me and that needs to flow through everything we do.”

“BOLD Mission: Courageously Pursue Your Calling” is available on Amazon and on Boblitt’s book site, Boldmissionbydebraboblitt.com where she also offers a package that contains videos with discussions about the BOLD strategy, along with worksheets to support people through their BOLD Mission. For Boblitt Consulting, LLC, visit Debraboblitt.com or email debraboblitt@me.com.

“When you own your calling,” she writes, “it will lead to a more authentic expression of yourself and who you were created to be.” FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

To hear more from Debra Boblitt, visit Zonie Living at StarWorldWideNetworks.com/shows/bonnie-stevens.