Leadership development does not begin with a promotion, a management title, or a seat at the boardroom table. It begins much earlier, when girls discover that their ideas matter, their voices deserve to be heard, and they can make a difference in their communities.  In this episode of the Executive Alliance Podcast, host Christine Walsh speaks with Jenny Trostel, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, about the experiences that build young leaders and the responsibility established women have to support those following behind them. Their conversation connects the courage, confidence, and character cultivated in childhood with the skills women need throughout their careers. Listen to the Executive Alliance Podcast on Spotify | Open podcast Someone Has to See the Leader First Trostel traces her own leadership journey to a supervisor in banking who recognized her potential and recommended her for a management trainee position. That encouragement led to an early opportunity to manage a team. Decades later, she still sees the importance of noticing talent and opening doors for someone else. Her connection to Girl Scouts is equally personal. She participated through high school and maintains a friendship formed there roughly 50 years ago. After retiring, she was asked to serve as interim CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland following the unexpected loss of its leader. She discovered how much she valued returning to the mission and stayed on as CEO. Practice Courage Before the Stakes Are High At a national Girl Scouts council session, Trostel watched teenage girls step up to microphones before an audience of approximately 2,000 people and argue for or against proposed bylaw changes. They prepared their remarks, took a position, and spoke publicly about issues they cared about. For Trostel, it was a vivid demonstration of courage, confidence, and character in action. The organization also creates opportunities to learn directly from experienced leaders. Through its Distinguished Women event, high school students spend a day shadowing accomplished women and asking questions about their careers. Trostel participated as an honoree in 2009 and still follows the progress of the student who shadowed her. Leadership Is Learned by Doing Girl Scouts offers more than the familiar experiences of cookies, badges, and camping. Trostel describes community-focused projects through which girls identify problems, organize support, and follow through. She particularly emphasizes the Gold Award, which requires substantial service, project management, presentations, and collaboration with mentors and advisers. The cookie program offers another practical lesson. Trostel recounts a young seller who set a personal goal of 100 boxes and exceeded it, while her troop divided proceeds among supplies, camp, and a future outing. Girls also learn to respond to rejection and ask customers to donate cookies to community organizations. Trostel reported that 27,000 boxes were donated in Central Maryland through those efforts. These are early experiences in goal-setting, communication, resilience, and service. Mentorship Must Include Opportunity Trostel has mentored three women through Executive Alliance. She believes mentorship works when women can share difficult experiences honestly and offer a trusted space for questions that may feel risky to ask at work. But she urges leaders to go further: identify the spark in a colleague, tell her about opportunities, and encourage her to pursue the next level. That responsibility extends to employers and business leaders. Trostel calls for continued support of organizations that give girls meaningful opportunities in areas such as STEM, college preparation, and community engagement. The pipeline to leadership strengthens when girls gain experience early and women already in positions of influence actively help others advance. The Work Starts Now Trostel approaches nonprofit leadership with both mission and business discipline: organizations need revenue, careful expense management, and engaged boards to sustain their work. The same practical perspective shapes her message about developing leaders. Inspiration matters, but so do resources, relationships, and opportunities to practice. The conversation offers a useful reminder for Executive Alliance members and other leaders: preparing the next generation is not a task to begin when young women enter the workforce. It starts when girls are encouraged to speak, make decisions, take responsibility, and discover that someone believes in their potential. About the Guest Jenny Trostel is CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. A former Girl Scout who participated through high school, she has held leadership roles across banking, the for-profit sector, and nonprofit organizations. She initially joined Girl Scouts of Central Maryland as interim CEO and chose to continue in the role. An Executive Alliance mentor, Trostel is committed to helping girls and women develop confidence, build connections, and pursue leadership opportunities. This blog post was written with the assistance of AI.