Cheryl Bonini Ellis, Author and Leadership Excellence Coach  

Cheryl Bonini Ellis and I met last December when I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Morris County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon.

Cheryl was the chair of the Women In Business committee, and my first impression was that this focused, organized woman has it all figured out! She is a former business executive turned entrepreneur, and an author, speaker, trainer and coach in the field of leadership excellence and high performance.

She helps business leaders build cohesive high performing teams so that they can create a competitive advantage in the market, and, as her website notes, “She helps business leaders achieve higher levels of performance so that they can get bigger and better results, have a bigger impact as leaders and make a bigger difference in the world.” She has also created the video-based “Learning to Lead from Within” program, and founded the leadership retreat “Leading with Impact and Intention.”

Not surprisingly, Cheryl is curious about people. She’s a keen observer of human behavior, individually and in groups or organizations, focusing on what makes people  special and unique. Cheryl believes that there is a more effective and influential leader inside every one of us (so yes, readers of SharpHeels , you should believe it too!).

Define “entrepreneur.”
A person who takes risks and adds value by providing products or services that improve lives or solve problems.

Who are your heroes?    
Cowboys…? Seriously, my parents and grandparents and the leaders I hold as role models:  Gandhi, MLK, Nelson Mandela, Gloria Steinem, and Oprah Winfrey.

What is your current challenge?
Changing over my business model from “time for money” coaching to creating online training programs that can help far more people.  The challenge is the learning curve, including all the technology and how to coordinate timing and make progress while still creating revenue. 

Your greatest achievement?
Leaving the security of a highly compensated position with many perks to start my own business, and continually reinventing myself over the past ten years. 

What is your motto?
Live. Love. Learn. Laugh.  Let me explain: Live in the present moment because life can change in an instant. Love your life and the people in it. Seek to make a difference in the lives of other people — and the best way to do that is to learn as much as you can. And laugh every day.  Keep your sense of humor no matter what. 

Why are you an entrepreneur?
Business is in my DNA.  My ancestors were business people.  I studied business at the undergraduate and graduate levels. And while I worked in a large corporate environment for many years, I always wanted to have my own business. 

What problem are you solving?
As the pace of change continues to escalate and we experience more complexity and ambiguity, the world needs better leaders.  I have a lot of experience in a wide variety of leadership roles and solving problems and leading major change initiatives, and I want to share what I’ve learned to help as many people as possible improve their leadership ability and credibility. 

What problem would you like solved?
Societal ills – starvation, lack of clean water, human trafficking. 

Item you wish you had invented?  
Anything that changed the world and improved lives. 

Biggest regret? 
Wasting money on stupid stuff! 

What mobile device do you presently use?
iPhone, iPad, and iPods. 

Essential app(s)?
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Anything photography-related.  Also Skype, Ted, Yelp,  Netflix, Amazon, Trip Advisor, Maps, Dropbox, Fiverr, Google, LastPass, HuffPost – should I go on? 

Which productivity tools (app/software/office supplies) do you use most often?   
Dropbox, Microsoft Office for Mac, and Outlook. 

Best discovery? 
Fiverr. 

Which talent would you like to have?   
Tech savvy. 

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received? 
A year-end bonus equal to my annual salary for leading awesome growth in team member engagement and customer loyalty. 

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)? 
Learn early how to avoid distractions. 

Your pitch in 140 characters?   
“Be the leader you wish you had.” There is a better leader inside of you, and I can help you find her and bring her out.

Your bio in six words?   
“Travel Junkie Loves Places And People.” 

Are you on Twitter?
Yes — @cabonini. 

The Twitter follower you can’t live without?   
Not active enough to know! 

What’s your hashtag?  
Don’t really have one (for shame!).  Maybe #becomingdeliberate. 

Your nails on a chalkboard moment is?
People disrespecting people who are different, simply because of that difference. 

The J.O.B. you’d actually like? 
Talk show host! 

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur is?
That it is easy money. 

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
 Success. 

What are you reading?  
The Biology of Belief (Bruce Lipton), Not My Father’s Son:  A Memoir (Alan Cumming), and The 12 Disciplines of Leadership Excellence: How Leaders Achieve Sustainable High (Tracy & Chee). 

What is your must-read?
The Success Principles (Jack Canfield), and The Motivation Manifesto (Brendan Burchard). 

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Pay attention to each and every experience you have in life and learn how to apply it to every challenge.  Invest heavily in yourself, your learning and your growth. 

What conference would you like to keynote?  
United Nations World Conference on Women and Vital Voices Global Partnership. 

What’s your guilty pleasure?  
Taking a day off! 

Short cut, long route, road less traveled? What’s your roadmap? 
All of these at various times.  My roadmap is usually the shortest distance between two points. 

Podium you’d like to stand on?  
United Nations World Conference on Women. 

The memories of a chef are tastes and smells; what would you say are the memories of an entrepreneur? 
People telling you how you made a difference in their lives. 

What makes you LOL?  
Comedy Central – irreverent humor. 

Who or what inspires you?  
Nature.  Music.  Art. People who are fun to be with and interesting to talk with. 

What’s the most important startup / entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned? 
Have a good plan and great support (coaches, teachers, mentors) whom you trust. 

What would be the title of your biography?
Wanderlust: The Story Of A Gallivanter. 

Favorite gadget?  
My Nespresso Machine. 

Your Ferris Bueller moment. If you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do? 
Walk on the beach, swim in the warm sea, watch the sunrise and sunset.  Have a glass of great wine. 

One place in time you’d like to visit?
I like the here and now. 

Part of the trick to staying focused is?
Avoiding/minimizing distractions — and having a clear “why?” 

You take a three-hour ocean tour and get stranded…what three items do you have with you?  
A journal, a pen, and water purifier. 

One last thing… what’s the question I should be asking you?
Tell me about your book Becoming Deliberate: Changing the Game of Leadership From the Inside Out.  What does it mean to “become deliberate?”  Why did you write it?