Top 5 Lessons Learned in 2023: A Year of Empowerment for Female Leaders
As we prepare for the new year, it’s a great time for reflection and introspection. The year 2023 has been a remarkable journey, not just in terms of the challenges we faced but, more importantly, in the lessons we learned and the growth we experienced. This year has been a testament to our strength, adaptability, leadership, and resilience, particularly in the face of unprecedented challenges. It was a year that not only tested us but also highlighted our unique capabilities as women in leadership roles.
These insights have shaped our approach, honed our skills, and prepared us to lead with more conviction and impact. Here are the top five lessons that have been particularly resonant, each shaping our path toward a more empowered and influential future.
- Embrace the Power of Dreams and Vision: This year has underscored the importance of dreaming big and aligning those dreams with our values and vision. As female leaders, we’ve seen the power of visualization and...
Stop Being Hysterical and Slow Down - an Interview with Laura Guio
It was such an honor to spend time with Laura Guio, a powerful and influential leader with a 30-year career at IBM. Laura joined us from Copenhagen, Denmark to share her journey, filled with invaluable lessons, challenges, and the wisdom she gained along the way.
Laura dives into the nuances of building a successful career, the importance of adaptability, and the art of maintaining a strong personal brand. Her insights are not just reflections of her professional journey but also serve as guiding principles for anyone looking to make their mark in their career.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE INTERVIEW:
Embrace Continuous Learning and Role Versatility (02:15): Success often comes from the willingness to learn and adapt. Taking on various roles to understand different aspects of a business can be more beneficial than excelling in just one area. Being versatile and competent across multiple domains often outweighs being a specialist in a single field.
Cultivate a Strong Personal Brand...
What it Takes to Achieve ‘What’s Next’ (Part 2): Plan
In the first part of this series, we looked into the importance of dreaming as the first step towards achieving your next big thing. Now, let’s talk about the second crucial step: Planning! Planning is where your dream starts to take shape, where you map out the route to your destination. Let’s get into it.
Strategic Planning is Your Blueprint
Strategic planning goes beyond a simple to-do list; it serves as an intricate blueprint that brings your dream into focus. A meticulously crafted plan acts as your navigational chart, steering you through both challenges and opportunities with unwavering clarity and purpose.
Prioritize and Sequence
In the planning phase, you’ll likely have a multitude of tasks and objectives. The key is to prioritize them based on their impact and sequence them in a logical, effective order. This ensures you’re not just busy, but productive. It allows you to allocate your resources—time, energy, and capital—where they will...
Get Ahead by Giving: An Interview with Lynne Thornton, SVP Channel Acceleration at JSG
Lynne Thornton, SVP Channel Acceleration at JSG, is a seasoned professional known for her insights into career growth and networking strategies. In this conversation, she shares valuable advice on building meaningful connections and amazing wisdom on how to advance your career. Lynne emphasizes the power of networking with a giving approach, the influence of suggestion, and the importance of leaning into your adaptable skills.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Networking with a Giving Approach (03:22):
Lynne Thornton emphasizes the significance of networking, highlighting that the act of giving within professional circles can lead to unexpected opportunities and collaborations.
Power of Suggestion (06:43):
Explore the “power of suggestion” as a valuable tool, encouraging individuals to clearly communicate their career goals and intentions to create opportunities.
Skills are Transferable (11:19):
Recognize that skills are transferable across different roles and industries, promoting...
What it Takes to Achieve ‘What’s Next’ (Part 1): Dream
As we navigate Q4 of 2023, and we’re focused on ‘hitting the number’, it’s a great time to take a step back and focus on the first pivotal step to achieving ‘what’s next’: Dreaming.
- Dreams as Drivers: Your gut and your heart are very wise, but we’re often too busy, anxious, or distracted to hear the wisdom of our internal compass. It may be time to slow down before you can speed up.
- No Limits: Aim high and boldly; stretch your imagination beyond your current circumstances. The world is in desperate need of courageous heart-centered leaders who are ready to feel what’s next, and go all in.
- Personalized Dreams: Your dreams are uniquely yours, reflecting your values, priorities, and vision. Take the time to slow down and right the ship if you feel a bit off course or if your pace is not sustainable.
- Dynamic Nature of Dreams: Keep your dreams active and dynamic, updating them to align with your growth and with your highest sense of...
Beyond KPI’s: How to Ensure Women are Heard and Valued
Christine Kiefer, Senior Vice President at Experis/Manpower Group, embodies the qualities of adaptability, inclusive leadership, and dedication to excellence.
In this interview, Christine dives into the challenges she has encountered, the transformative moments that have shaped her remarkable career, and the profound importance of fostering diversity within organizations.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
KPIs Don’t Always Reflect Satisfaction: KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) may show success on paper, but they don’t necessarily reflect client or employee satisfaction. Sometimes, despite meeting KPIs, clients may not feel they are receiving the expected value. (Timestamp: 16:05)
Importance of Sponsorship for Women: Sponsorship, which actively supports and promotes individuals, is crucial for women’s career advancement. Having a mentor is not the same as having a sponsor, and many women feel they lack sponsorship opportunities. (Timestamp: 19:07)
Benefits of Diverse Leadership:...
How to Turn a Disappointment into a Breakthrough Opportunity
Many times I give the coaching advice, ‘It’s not about being perfect, it’s about how you respond to adversity and setbacks’.
Recently, I had a unique opportunity to follow my own advice.
I've just wrapped up a whirlwind 5-week trip to the East Coast speaking, seeing East Coast clients, cycling through Maine with family, with a finale being a dream come true: speaking at the United Nations. But as we all know, life has a funny way of throwing curveballs. Due to (understandable) heightened security, the venue changed last minute to NASDAQ. But here's the kicker: I learned some invaluable lessons that I can't wait to share with you.
Give Yourself Permission to Be Disappointed
Let's be real: disappointment stings. I had visualized myself at the UN, sharing my insights and experiences with a room full of global change-makers. When that vision crumbled, I felt a sense of loss. But here's the empowering part: it's absolutely okay to feel...
From Dream to UN Podium: The Power of Persistence and Vision
Sometimes our gut and our heart speak to us and guide us towards something important that we’d like to accomplish.
Just a few years ago, 2019 to be exact, speaking at the United Nations was a far-fetched dream. I thought that if I could speak on behalf of Sustainable Development Goal #5, Gender Equality, I’d somehow be able to empower even more women to have a bigger voice and impact.
There were all sorts of reasons why this dream made NO sense, why it was unlikely at best and why it was NOT likely to happen. But dreams have a funny way of becoming reality when you're committed to doing what it takes for ‘what’s next’. Let's dive into how the journey unfolded and the actionable lessons you can apply to your own path.
Visualize Your Goals
In 2019, I set a goal in my speaking mastermind with Bo Eason. I wanted to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal #5: equality for women and girls. So, I drew a picture—husband,...
When the Mic Went Silent: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities
Have you ever prepared impeccably for a big moment, and then something out of your control goes horribly wrong?
Just a few weeks ago, I had the honor of being a Mega Session speaker at the 2023 CREW Network (women in construction) Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The room of 500 was packed, super engaged audience. Amazing!
But what happened next was nothing short of terrifying AND magical. The audio, crucial for the interactive finale of my talk, failed. The A/V team came up, but could not fix it. 
Should I start singing Alicia Keys, ‘This Girl is On Fire’. Bad idea, considering my vocal ability. I decided to do the finale, an interactive visualization activity, without music. Not ideal, but the show must go on.
Then, an attendee in the session came to the stage and handed me her phone, and said, ‘HOLD THIS TO YOUR MIC!’. She had pulled up ‘This Girl is On Fire’ on Spotify.
Everyone clapped and stood up as I led them through...
Podcast Episode #117: "Delivering Tough Feedback Effectively Across Organizations" - an Interview with Brenda Hudson
Delivering Tough Feedback Effectively Across Organizations
In case you missed my LIVE interview with the phenomenal Brenda Hudson (Senior Vice President Commercial Sales, Sales Enablement, Learning and Development at Insight), here are a few of the wisdom gems she shared:
- Tuck away all the behaviors you’ve experienced that will not exhibit.
- Have grace, honesty, clarity, and compassion.
- Be sure to share ‘why’ you’re sharing the feedback you are.
- Exhibit gratitude for the recipient of the conversation.
- An inability to build trust will restrict your elevation in your career and in life.
- Listen, be authentic, and align your actions with your words to build that trust.
- Don’t be afraid to speak up and go against the grain when it’s a win/win/win for the other person, you, and your company.
To be notified for future interviews be sure to connect with me here on LinkedIn AND to learn more about how to build the mindset and ...
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