LEADERSHIP

BUILDING BLOCKS

Dawn McCoy
P R E S S K I T

Dawn McCoy

PRESS KIT INDEX

FACT SHEET

LEADERSHIP BUILDING BLOCKS SYNOPSIS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & WORKSHOPS

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE AND APPEARANCES

OTHER ENDEAVORS

flourishleadership.com

Dawn McCoy

FACT SHEET
Title: Leadership Building Blocks Subtitle: An Insiders Guide to Success Author: Dawn McCoy, Author, Speaker, and Leadership Consultant

Publisher: ISBN: Publication: Pages: Format: Trim Size: U.S. List Price: Cover/Designer: Photographer: Genre: Publicity:

Flourish Publishing Group, LLC 978-0-9819944-9-9 February 1, 2010 208 Mass market paperback 5 x 8 $14.95 Chandra Guglik, www.guglikdesign.com Shannon Scott, www.shutterflygirl.com Leadership, Business Management, Politics, Self-Improvement National radio and virtual tours, national and regional print publicity, conventions Full-color, display ads in FraserNet International Resource Guide, eWomenNetwork Conference Guide, Book Expo America African American Pavilion John Maxwell, Jack Canfield, Jean Lipman-Blumen, James MacGregor Burns, James Baldwin, Les Brown, Johnnetta Cole, Mary Frances Berry, Shirley Chisholm, Debrena Jackson Gandy, Barbara Jordan, Tama Kieves, David Kuntz, Haki Madhubuti, Tavis Smiley, Ronald Walters, and Marian Wright Edelman

Strengths:

Leadership development, community relations, strategic planning, public relations Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success is an inspirational account based on leadership lessons Dawn McCoy learned as an elected Sacramento City Unified School board trustee. She identifies seven leadership fundamentals: vision, balance, courage, time management, relationship building, tenacity, and commitment to legacy. This book provides readers with practical tools and offers sound advice to political and corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and aspiring leaders.

Summary:

Carton Quantity: 42

Other Projects: Bookstores:

Winning Campaign Building Blocks: An Underdogs Guide to Coming Out on Top Available for purchase through flourishleadership.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com

Consumer Ads:

Media Kit: Available Upon Request

Influences:

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 1

Dawn McCoy

LEADERSHIP BUILDING BLOCKS SYNOPSIS

A dynamic leader shares how a commitment to core principles brings success in life and in leadership roles. Written by Dawn McCoy, one of the youngest elected members to serve on the Sacramento City Unified School Board of Trustees, this pivotal book shows how ordinary people can become extraordinary leaders. Geared towards aspiring leaders or those already in leadership positions, Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success outlines seven strategies to achieve success. These include Vision, Balance, Courage, Relationship Building, Tenacity (crisis management and communication skills), and Commitment to Legacy. In this book, McCoy candidly shares personal triumphs and challenges she faced in the political arena and other leadership roles. She draws attention to Leadership Building Blocks fundamentals, skills designed to distinguish a leader. Each concept is illustrated by an example, application, and story. With easy-to-follow icons, leadership self-assessments, and goal-setting worksheets, McCoy takes readers through her experiences while simultaneously giving them tools to succeed in their leadership roles. McCoy asks questions like: How do you get started as a leader? How will you cope when thrust into sudden leadership limelight or crisis? How do leaders manage competing priorities? Leadership Building Blocks answers these questions and dozens more with step-by-step procedures about where leaders begin, how they can advocate for their cause, and how they can deftly maneuver through unpredictable circumstances. As she recounts her leadership journey, McCoy proves she is well qualified to answer these questions given her roles as a political advisor, community activist, nonprofit executive, leadership consultant, and author. She shares how the Leadership Building Blocks concepts have served as a template for success throughout her career. Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success provides just that in solid, easy-to-digest, and satisfying pieces.

Author Biography
Nationally-recognized speaker, leadership development consultant, and author Dawn McCoy is founder and president of Flourish Leadership Group. She was among the youngest African-Americans elected to the Sacramento City Unified School Board of Trustees, one of the nations top fifty largest school systems in November 2002. At the age of thirty-three, she won a position serving more than 161,000 constituents and 46,000 students on her first attempt running for public office. Prior to running for the school board, she served in nonprofit executive capacities for more than fifteen years and served as a Capitol Hill legislative aide. She holds a bachelors of science degree in psychology from Howard University and a master of public policy degree from Georgetown University. Dawn resides with her family in Richmond, Virginia. Visit Dawn online at flourishleadership.com.

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 2

Dawn McCoy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & WORKSHOPS

Honorable Dawn McCoy
President and CEO, Flourish Leadership Group, LLC Nationally-recognized author, speaker, leadership consultant Sacramento City Unified School Board of Trustees retired Sacramento Public Library Foundation retired Bryce Harlow Foundation, Board of Directors retired

Biography
Dawn McCoy is founder of Flourish Leadership Group, LLC, a leadership communications firm that empowers non-profit executives, public servants, and youth leaders to become extraordinary leaders. She translates her leadership experiences as a community activist, library foundation board member, elected school board trustee, and working for Sacramento City public schools into the guiding principles of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success. The book is now available for purchase through flourishleadership.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. Dawns groundbreaking work has been featured at workshops and her articles have appeared in various dailies and publications nationwide. Dawn is a recognized consultant and coach who lectures and conducts hands-on activities for large and small groups. She shares her powerful message about the role of leadership in creating effective systemsschool districts, community- and faith-based organizations, businesses, and political training programs.

CUSTOMIZED SERVICES

CLIENTS (Partial List)

Individual Leadership Consultation Long-Term Consultations Coaching for Political Candidates and Public Servants Site, Program, and Personnel Assessments Civic Engagement Workshops Women in Leadership Seminars Youth Conferences Keynote Addresses
SPEAKING TOPICS (Partial List)

Creating Relationships That Count Finding Balance and Getting a Grip Making the Difference: Community Engagement Tips Managing Time Before it Manages You The Real McCoy: Successful Leadership Principles

Regent University International youth leadership program City of Hopewell Local government training program Leadership California Executive womens training The Farm Team Womens political organization Virginia Leadership Institute African American political training Black Youth Leadership Project Youth leadership organization Latino Youth Summit Youth leadership program Hartnell College Sankofa graduation Keynote speaker Sacramento city school graduation exercises Keynote speaker Bryce Harlow Foundation Keynote speaker

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 3

Dawn McCoy

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

(PARTIAL LIST)

Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success by Dawn McCoy

There are always qualities that separate good from great. Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success is a guide for those who want to rise to the challenge of leadership with flying colors. Encouraging readers to embrace their intuition, face a bad situation down without faltering or giving up ones own beliefs, and use the right shortcuts to get the most out of your followers, Leadership Building Blocks is a choice pick for those who want to become the ideal leader for their company.
Midwest Book Review, March 2010

Amazing insights that will help leaders really connect the dots!
George C. Fraser, bestselling author of Click: 10 Truths For Building Extraordinary Relationships

Refreshingly straightforward and direct, but still able to touch the heart, Dawn has written what I consider to be a leaders handbook that should be required reading.
Debrena Jackson Gandy, national best-selling author, Sacred Pampering Principles and All the Joy You Can Stand

Dawn has captured her own wide range of leadership experiences into a concise, well-organized book which transfers her experiences into valuable lessons for others in leadership roles. As she did during her Leadership California involvement, she has shared her natural leadership skills in this book.
Pamela Hemann, Certified Association Executive

Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success addresses often overlooked leadership attributes, including the practice of personal and professional etiquette, polishing public speaking and communication skills, and giving back through commitment to mentoring. These simple, yet so very important characteristics of quality leaders receive little or not mention among the vast body of leadership literature. Dawn McCoys book is a timely guide for emerging leaders and a valuable reminder the seasoned leaders among us.
Martha Farmer, founding director, Leadership America and Leadership Texas, consultant and president, Martha P Farmer and Associates, Inc. .

A highly recommended read for moves-and-shakers eager to spearhead passionate causes and lead in spite of adverse challenges and obstacles. Dawns insightful fundamentals are sure-fire tactics to ensure success for leaders in any field.
Congresswoman Judy M. Chu, Ph.D.

Dawn McCoy has a sincere desire to help leaders become more savvy architects of tomorrow and take better care of themselves in the process. She has practical lessons to offer.
Tama J. Kieves, bestselling author of This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love: How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All!)

Dawns understanding of her audience and their interests was masterful. Her practical approach, solid advice, and personal stories were inspiring. With Dawn, I know I can sit back and just let her capture the audience!
Leadership California

Dawn McCoy has participated in several events for the Virginia Leadership Institute and painted an inspirational and realistic portrait of leadership and public service. She has been an excellent resource for future candidates and campaign professionals in Virginia. Her commitment, passion, and energy are an excellent model for our future leaders.
Krysta Jones, executive director, Virginia Leadership Institute

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 4

Dawn McCoy

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

with Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insiders Guide to Success
1. How is this book different from other leadership books?

A: Leadership Building Blocks is an essential guide for how good people in leadership positions become extraordinary

leaders. Too often we hear about leaders making bad decisions. This book is the perfect solution to bring integrity back to leadership. Its based upon my experiences in political office. It is filled with kernels of wisdom, chapter-by-chapter icons, and self-assessments.

What makes Leadership Building Blocks so distinct is that it will inspire you to jump in, take on, or tackle any leadership role.
2. Why did you write Leadership Building Blocks? A: It was so interesting while writing Leadership Building Blocks to discover how pivotal my service as an elected school

board member really was.

After serving 46,000 Sacramento students in a school district ranked as one of the top 50 largest in the nation, I felt compelled to help other current and aspiring leaders in a meaningful way. Even with the high-profile and public school district challenges that I talk about in the book, I wanted to share lessons learned, the inside track per se, about how to manage any leadership journey. Writing Leadership Building Blocks after I did not seek re-election was a cathartic experience. It brought forth this process to help others to courageously face adversity, to build solid relationships, and to maintain their integrity.
3. In your book, you describe seven strategies for successful leadership. Can you tell me more about these strategies? A. Leadership Building Blocks includes seven strategies essential to bring about success. These include Vision, Balance,

Courage, Dynamic Creativity, Everything Global, Fortitude, and Legacy. These include-- vision (forecasting), - balance (maintaining focus between personal and professional worlds), - courage (persevering during difficulties), - dynamic creativity (flexibility), - everything global (connecting with people), - fortitude (crisis management and communication skills), and - legacy (gracefully rounding any leadership journey).

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 5

Dawn McCoy

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

with Dawn McCoy (continued)
4. How do you help leaders become who they were meant to be? How do you transform ordinary people into extraordinary leaders? A: With the principles in Leadership Building Blocks, you are encouraged to first take a look at your vision. Then there are

worksheets to examine and fine-tune strategies and next steps.

Whats so exciting about Leadership Building Blocks is that each chapter includes my real life public service experience, relevant definitions and applicable concepts summarized as leadership secrets. That way, you can go back to re-examine whats working and whats not working. And thats where my coaching support and training at Flourish Leadership Group comes into play. At Flourish Leadership, the goal is to provide the backdrop, the self-inquiry process, and next steps toward success. The goal is to really challenge and inspire you to be bold, dynamic, and resilient in your distinguish yourself from others.
5. Do our listeners have to be a leader already to learn something from Leadership Building Blocks? A: Whats so unique about Leadership Building Blocks is that its a practical resource for everyday people. It is useful for

beginners and seasoned veterans alike. On a practical level, this book is written specifically for nonprofit directors and neighborhood team captains, political leaders and entrepreneurs. Its written for everyday people like PTA moms and community leaders, people just like you so you can be top in your field.

6. Where can be people purchase your book? A. They can go directly to my website at www.flourishleadership.com. Copies of the book are also available from

barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 6

Dawn McCoy

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE AND APPEARANC ES

2009
April May June August Williamsburg, Virginia | Farm Team Annual Networking Conference New York, New York | African American Pavilion, Book Expo America Lynchburg, Virginia | Farm Team Civic Engagement Workshop Atlanta, Georgia | FraserNet Conference Norfolk, Virginia | Farm Team Civic Engagement Workshop September Washington, DC | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation October November December New York, New York | Thurgood Marshall College Fund Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October Gallery International Art Expo American Council on Education National Leadership Forum

2010
January February Washington, DC | Alliance Management Institute Washington, DC | Assoc. for Study of African American Life and History 84th Annual Luncheon Petersburg, Virginia | Virginia Latino Higher Education Network Greensboro, North Carolina | National Forum of Black Public Administrators New York, New York | Book Expo America Atlanta, Georgia | FraserNet Conference Washington, DC | American Council on Education National Leadership Forum College Park, Maryland | National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Dallas, Texas | eWomenNetwork September Washington, DC | Congressional Black Caucus Foundation October Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Book Festival Washington, DC | Greater Washington Womens Network Raleigh, North Carolina | Association for Study of African American Life and History Largo, Maryland | Capital Book Festival McLean, Virginia | Executive Womens Roundtable Washington, DC | Howard University Bookstore

March April May June July

November Baltimore, Maryland | Reginald F. Lewis Museum

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 7

Dawn McCoy

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE AND APPEARANC ES

2011
January March May July September Richmond, VA | Women Who Mean Business Summit Baltimore, MD | American Society of Public Administration Bedford, MA | Massachusetts Library Association Richmond, VA | Virginia Summit 2011 Virginia Beach, VA | Regent University International Youth Leadership Institute Seattle, WA | American Political Science Association October Kansas City, MO | National Association of Public Affairs Administration Portsmouth, VA | Virginia Library Association Richmond, VA | Association for the Study of African American Life and History Austin, TX | C3 for Women Teleseminar Washington, DC | Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Washington, DC | Bryce Harlow Luncheon (private event)

November

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 8

Dawn McCoy

OTHER ENDEAVORS
Effective Community Engagement Audio CD
Title: Effective Community Engagement Subtitle: Author: Publication: Duration: Format: U.S. List Price: Cover/Designer: Seven Steps to Make a Real Difference Dawn McCoy, Author, Speaker, and Leadership Consultant December 2010 25 minutes Audio CD $20 Chandra Guglik, www.guglikdesign.com

Publisher: Flourish Publishing Group, LLC

Genre: Community Engagement, Self-Improvement Synopsis: Nationally-recognized motivational speaker Dawn McCoy shares seven core principles for creating effective community engagement. Are you a community organizer or neighborhood team captain expanding a home-grown plan? Could your campaign use a face-lift to prioritize community engagement goals? Are you actively trying to move people towards change with on incremental success? If you need better strategies to advocate for yourself, your cause, your community group, or your faith-based organization, then Effective Community Engagement is for you! You will learn: Identify advocacy essentials Demystify the process of building relationships Learn step-by-step implementation for engagement techniques Master the art of developing strategic alliances Track progress for future involvement and planning Hear anecdotes about Dawns success mobilizing advocacy groups, literacy initiatives, and statewide public awareness campaigns and how government agencies and corporations have incorporatedher recommendations. Learn how to turn your grassroots endeavors, contacts, and opportunities into sustained efforts. After listening to this CD, youll know how to have an immediate impact and implement concrete action steps to have more engaged and loyal constituencies.

flourishleadership.com

PAG E 9