The Leadership Detour: How The Unexpected Path Shaped My Success

The Leadership Detour: How The Unexpected Path Shaped My Success

The Leadership Detour is a deeply personal and powerful memoir-meets-leadership guide by Dr. Tammi Fleming. Blending lived experience with professional insight, she shares her unexpected journey from early career success to profound personal transformation. Through heartfelt storytelling and coaching wisdom, she explores the essential leadership shifts-from technical expertise to emotional intelligence, from performance to presence, and from chasing titles to building a legacy. Drawing from her upbringing in New Orleans, her work across the federal, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, and her experiences mentoring and coaching emerging leaders, Dr. Fleming reframes leadership as a journey of becoming-one shaped not by perfection, but by resilience, reflection, and realignment. The Leadership Detour offers inspiration, encouragement, and a roadmap for professionals navigating transitions, leadership plateaus, or the quiet call to lead with greater authenticity and purpose. "In The Leadership Detour, Dr. Tammi Fleming offers a way forward. With clarity and compassion, she helps readers recognize what stands in their way and equips them to move ahead with deeper confidence and renewed joy." — Dr. Janice Johnson Dias, author of Parent Like It Matters ★★★★★ Readers' Favorite - Five Star Review "This book is truly amazing! Dr. Tammi Fleming's writing is relatable, wise, and sincere, captivating from the start and showing how personal history fuels effective leadership." — Cherubimaris Casino, Readers' Favorite "Warm, anecdotal, and deeply insightful, The Leadership Detour is more than a leadership toolkit—it's an invitation to introspection and growth, relevant to anyone whose career has stalled or who is questioning their path." — Readers' Favorite, 5-Star Review "Part memoir and part leadership handbook, The Leadership Detour is both informative and motivational. Tammi Fleming shares her life story and decades of experience to offer keen insights and practical strategies that readers can easily apply in their own lives. A comprehensive leadership guide that inspires resilience and growth." — Pikasho Deka, Readers' Favorite, 5-Star Review When I began writing The Leadership Detour , I thought I was simply putting my professional journey into words. What I realized instead was that this book is about much more than titles or promotions. It's about lived experience — the moments that tested me, the detours that shaped me, and the lessons that turned setbacks into strength. I grew up surrounded by organizers and advocates who taught me what it meant to lead with purpose long before I had an office or a title. In New Orleans, I watched the St. Thomas Resident Council and organizations like the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond and the St. Thomas Irish Channel Consortium fight for dignity and justice. As a young woman, I learned resilience by watching neighbors organize rent strikes and by listening to leaders who believed our voices mattered. Those early lessons carried me into a career in nonprofits, philanthropy, and government, where I came to understand that leadership isn't just about hard work — it's about presence, self-awareness, and courage. This is my first book, but it's not the only one I intend to write. I see this project as the beginning of a larger conversation about leadership, equity, and legacy. My hope is that it meets you exactly where you are — and equips you to move forward with clarity, confidence, and joy. With gratitude, Dr. Tammi Fleming The Leadership Detour is more than a leadership book—it's an invitation to rethink success when the path ahead doesn't go as planned. Drawing from her own journey through philanthropy, nonprofits, and government, Dr. Tammi Fleming blends storytelling with hard-earned wisdom to reveal what truly holds leaders back—and how to move beyond it. With clarity and compassion, she uncovers the mindset shifts, leadership strategies, and emotional tools needed to step into purpose with confidence and authenticity. Whether you're a rising executive, a mission-driven changemaker, or simply navigating a transition, this book will challenge how you see yourself as a leader. It offers the guidance and inspiration to reclaim your power, embrace detours as part of the journey, and lead with clarity, presence, and courage. Sometimes the detour isn't a setback—it's the sacred route to who you were always meant to be. "For every leader who's ever been overlooked, underestimated, or off track—this book is your blueprint." The Leadership Detour is not just a book—it's a journey. Through powerful storytelling and hard-earned wisdom, Dr. Tammi Fleming guides readers through the often unspoken roadblocks that stall even the most talented professionals. With honesty, clarity, and actionable insight, she reveals the pivotal mindset shifts, leadership strategies, and emotional tools needed to move from performance to purpose. Whether you're a rising