Leadership Coach

In preparing to write this article for The Women CEO, I reached out to several female executives and leaders to get their input.  I received a variety of answers; however, there were a few themes and patterns that emerged.  One of themes that consistently bubbled to the top was regarding how to manage conflict, especially when the stakes, opinions and values are high.

We all agree on the importance of advancing women leaders at all levels, especially the executive level. Today, we are faced with a real problem. Senior women leaders are “Tapping Out” while the younger women are “not opting in”? We are at risk of losing decades of leadership wisdom and future representation.

The topic of work/life balance is perennially discussed in the business world and, I have to admit, it isn’t my favorite because there seems to be much discussion around it, but less about what lies at the heart of it. Although there is great value in discussing how we can do better at not letting the stress of work creep into our homelife and vice versa, we need to take the discussion deeper.

Leadership is about influence and impact. So how does one go about becoming a leader? Or being a good one? You start by being you. Every person has innate strengths. Get to know yours! When you become more aware of who you are—your values, your passions, your motivations, your strengths, and your struggles—you equip yourself to lead better.

Imagine waking up with so much energy and zest for life that you are unrecognizable. You feel confident and empowered and when upsets happen you just roll with it. “Being busy” is not even part of your vocabulary because you make it ALL work with grace and ease.

In the world of business, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. While progress has been made in recent years, women continue to face a unique set of challenges when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder.

Being in business, regardless of your position or title, brings you and ever single individual, face to face with choice-points. These are specific moment within which we are choice to choose what we choose. It’s nonstop!

A lot of people don’t.
Maybe you don’t want all the responsibility that comes along with being a leader. You don’t want to open yourself up to the judgment and criticism of other people.
Everyone is a leader. When you expand your definition of leadership to include yourself…it may end up being more empowering.

Dealing with failure and criticism is the hardest part of leadership. If you lead an initiative that tanks, or launch a program that doesn’t garner the outcomes you want, you’re left wondering where to go next.

In the 25 years I’ve been a professional coach, I have seen the same three issues circulating around the female leaders I have worked with. They are cultural, political and psychological, which means no one is entirely immune.

A few months into the pandemic, articles started appeared in the western media analysing how the virus infection rates were lower in countries led by women, but as Veronica Lysaght finds, the headline is not the whole story. It is true, some women leaders did excel

From frustrated tired and stressed female business owner idea business funding a global user base and a sense of making a difference. Here’s how I turned a frustration into an idea that attracted government funding – and now makes a difference globally. I share my four step process so you can begin to do the same.

The first time I experienced being the only girl in the room, I was in high school and 17 years old. I thought I wanted to be an Engineer in a radio station, so I requested to enroll in an Electronics 101 class. I had to be screened by the male teacher and recommended by my female career counselor to get in. It was 1967, and I was growing up in San Francisco.

Some years ago, I was having a conversation with an ex-colleague. She works within the leadership team of the Finance Department of a public sector company. I posed the question, “do you consider yourself to be a leader?”

A vivid childhood memory is a conversation with my mother. I was 10 years old. “Don’t ever depend on anyone Samreen. Make your own money to support your family and you will secure yourself freedom and choice in life.” Born in 1938, my mother was one of 9 siblings in a Venezuelan Catholic family raised in the Andes. To her father’s disapproval, she was determined to pursue her studies.

According to the studies countries that are led by women coped quite well during the pandemic. One of those countries is Finland. We had successful leadership in many organizations, too. Learning from mistakes is important, but learning from what went well is the easiest way to success. What did we learn?
First, please take a moment to realize what You learned:

Could there be a better time to sharpen your resilience muscle as a female leader than during challenging times? Unfortunately, as the world battles back and forth with the dynamics of the global pandemic, increasing challenges emerge for organisation leaders in different ways, and as a woman in a leadership position, your challenges naturally multiply.

The pandemic highlighted the strength and value of women leaders in navigating crises. Now, more than ever is the time for businesses to continue to invest in female leaders to prepare for future challenges.

One of the best parts of my work is the rush of energy I feel when a new idea sparks in my brain.
Typically, this happens during my morning runs while listening to a podcast. Occasionally, it happens
in the shower. The most exciting and energizing ideas are ones that reimagine ways of doing things.

Leaders are under enormous pressure today. Against the backdrop of a global
pandemic, when companies are struggling to turn profits and even the slightest misstep
can lead to layoffs and insolvency, leaders at every level are being asked to do more with less
than ever before.