Women can disagree with one another without tearing each other down. How do we know? Because it happens all the time!
My question is why should we strive to make everyone equal? Perhaps, instead, women can apply their talents toward making a bigger impact on humanity by 'leaning in' and solving one complex problem, one community at a time.
Make sure you don't focus so much on the appearance of leadership that you miss the true leaders in your company. These are some qualities to look for in finding a good leader.
To have the chance to engage in learning of this kind represents a significant "psychic bonus" that ends up being irresistible. And that got me thinking -- what are our schools doing to prepare students to become amphibious leaders?
Sheryl Sandberg's self-described feminist manifesto is provoking thought and causing women everywhere to ask, "what does this mean for me?" I was no exception. As an MBA educated black woman, I couldn't help but finish the book and wonder, "what exactly does Lean In mean for women of color?"
Leadership is the desire and capacity to modify the reality around us with a specific purpose, for the people around us and with the people around us.
Being aware of these meta-messages, you create a safe work culture for open, candid, caring conversations, allowing all parties to interact at the highest level, sharing perspectives, feelings, and aspirations, while elevating insights and wisdom.
If you've felt betrayed by someone who often asks for favors, yet rarely reciprocates, you are not alone. What makes some givers successful and sought-after is that they have both a deep, evident caring for others, yet they also attend to their own self-interest.
What is it that big, stodgy corporations have discovered about running a business that keeps things chaos-free? The answer is that big businesses have discovered 'process' and they've run with it.
You wouldn't blink if someone told you they needed to do a better job managing their company's "budgeting" process or "manufacturing" process, would you? But managing a "change process"?
Whether operating in retail, banking, grocery or other industries, the health of today's companies relies more than ever before on creating a reciprocating network of shared value for all stakeholders.
I've seen that there are five key blocks in the way of women advancing to the leadership ranks successfully. One of the most important factors is that organizations are not digging deep enough to uncover specifically how and why their organization isn't fostering women leaders successfully.
What motivators could be instituted that may not cost a dime but bring enrichment and enlightenment to those that are feeling burnt out, underappreciated, or just plain bored?
In an organizational environment that is now networked, interconnected, rapidly transforming and constantly in motion leaders, especially emerging leaders, are being called forward to a more inclusive form of leadership. We are moving from knowledge based leadership towards wisdom based leadership.
We should applaud Pope Benedict for his decision. In resigning, and bucking an eons long tradition, he appears to be calling for sensible, unselfish and future-oriented leadership. In business, in athletics, in politics and more, we have seen too many examples to the contrary.
It is logical that a lifestyle of self-parenting, living with less and dealing with severe disappointment would yield an adult who is able to handle the often difficult role of building a company.
You will face many choices about the amount of effort you'll need to grow yourself. The payoff for doing this self-development work first will continue to pay benefits for yourself, but also the people who work with you. You'll receive positive recognition for your authenticity.
Because a truly successful venture is rarely a one-person show, your ability to get the right people on your team -- and doing their best work -- is possibly the most critical, and often overlooked, skill an entrepreneur can have.
Being in a position to dictate your own exit strategy should be the highlight of your career because it epitomizes the entrepreneurial dream: Go into business, be successful at it, and leave under your own terms.
I was surrounded by people I typically don't come across in my day-to-day high school world such as business school students from Wharton and successful entrepreneurs. And since I was amongst the youngest there, I found myself looking up to these people.
To lead effectively, you must have willing and enthusiastic followers. In other words, the audience matters.
While I applaud Sheryl Sandberg's effort, I worry that the message she is sending -- explicitly in her rally cries and implicitly in her tactics -- is only adding fuel to the fire of the gender wars.
In my work as an executive coach to help others build vision, voice, and followership -- one of the biggest steps you can take for your career and life is to take the baby steps towards seeing yourself as "an owner."
If there's no substance and fire in your vision for the future, how will you infuse those qualities into the rest of your strategic plan? Here's a no-nonsense summary of the elements that you can use as a guide when you develop your strategic plan.
Of course, there are a variety of skills owners need to know in order to make a business work. But after many decades of running my own successful businesses, I have come to the conclusion that these facts are the seven essential concepts needed to create a successful business life.
