Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to The Successful You Women's Leadership Forum hosted by MITX and Microsoft. There was a great turnout and we got to hear from a variety of really incredible women, from the General Manager of Boston.com to VP of Educational Partnerships at the Museum of Science to the founder of oneforty.com.
One of my favorite speakers was Gloria Larson, the current (and first female!) President of Bentley University, who previously served as Massachusetts secretary of economic and consumer affairs, among many other amazing positions. During her (sadly short) presentation, Gloria spoke of a McKinsey study (and book) on the common qualities of remarkable women leaders. There are some great tips here for any, although especially female, aspiring leaders.
The 5 Qualities of Remarkable Women Leaders
1. Meaning
The first common quality found among remarkable women in the study is called "Meaning." This refers to combining your skills with a passion or purpose. Having a sense of purpose - where you can use your skills to achieve something great - will make you work harder and more passionately.
2. Framing
Positive framing is about owning up to and learning from your mistakes. Successful leaders will admit to their mistakes, develop solutions, and figure out how to move forward. Everyone makes mistakes and what separates the great from the rest is whether you can learn from your mistakes and grow as a person and professional. Gloria also spoke for some time about the importance of optimism and that optimistic leaders tend to be more successful than those who approach problems with a pessimistic view.
3. Connecting
It's no surprise that one's relationships play a big role in one's development and success. The study speaks of relationships with two key personas: mentor and sponsor. A mentor is someone who acts as a role model, someone you learn from. A sponsor is someone who advocates for you and points you in the direction of new opportunities. Women with a mentor and sponsor (note they are not necessarily the same person) are more likely to be successful.
4. Engaging
The fourth factor, engaging, is all about taking risks and making your own opportunities. To be successful, you need to speak up for yourself, because who else will? If you want something, make it happen. Find new opportunities for yourself and take it! Taking any opportunity is a risk but you need to take risks in order to succeed and move forward.
5. Energizing
One of the common questions at the conference was that of handling work-life balance. Every time the question was raised, the speakers responded with a joking, huh? what's work-life balance? comment. And, actually, that's what the energizing point is all about. Surviving and succeeding in work is more about making time to do the things you love that give you energy. It's about learning to manage a busy life and build things into your busy life that keep you happy and energized.
These are great tips for any aspiring leader to help you stay focused, passionate, and happy in your work life.
