5 Valuable Lessons for Women Leaders
Day 3 of 30 Day Writing Challenge
This post is a compilation of 5 great takeaways for women leaders- both who are in positions of power and those who aspire to land one. The lessons are from Carol Geffner’s book Building a New Leadership Ladder published by MIT press earlier this year.
Cultivate Courage , Resilience and Optimism
Geffner’s studies and interviews highlighted that courage, resilience and optimism are a crucial set of skills. Women leaders have to frequently call on these qualities to power through the unique challenges they face. The intersecting dynamics of gender, cultural norms, identities, biases, social constructs pose obstacles specific to women and this set of traits in combination with expertise and purpose hold women leaders in good stead.
Recognize and Tackle Preparation Paradox
Carol cites several pieces of evidence for the paradox that while women must overprepare for future leadership roles, their preparation is often overlooked or minimized. Given that women are promoted for results (as opposed to potential for men), this becomes a stumbling block for ambitious and competent women. However, the author shares some great tips for tackling this situation such as
