High-Achieving Women Reclaiming Our Relationship With Power
Leslie Williams, MCC, Executive Coach (read posts)Leslie’s career in executive coaching and organizational change has been driven by a single compelling question: How do we make the world of work as generative for the human spirit as it is for the bottom line? Read Leslie’s own blog and follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.
I hate Women’s History Month. Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s vitally important to keep remembering that – and why – women matter. It’s crucial that we keep examining and updating our perceptions of women, so that we see them in ways that are ever-more complete, current and correct. I just don’t think that [...]
Note from the Editor: The staff of InPower women is taking some time off this week, as we hope you are, so we are reposting this popular post you may have missed. Happy Holidays! As an advocate for the underserved in her community, Gloria is recognized as a true leader. She’s smart, resourceful and has [...]
I’ve noticed that leaders often have very interesting notions of what constitutes ‘leadership.’ Some managers view leadership as something that exists outside and apart from them. They think of leaders as only those who make the grand speeches and set sweeping agendas. So, often, when my clients’ jobs don’t require this sort of large-scale thought [...]
“The minute I express my opinion clearly, I get labeled as aggressive.” This may be the most recurrent refrain I hear from the women leaders I coach. They report that if they hold back or are soft-spoken, they get run over in conversations. Yet if they come forward with strength, they get tattooed with what [...]
“I know what I want to say, but HOW do I say it without getting ignored or killed?” In my experience as an executive coach, this question stymies women leaders as much as any other issue. Why? Because organizations often require women to operate within a painfully narrow stylistic range: nice, but not TOO nice; [...]
Last year, a company hired me to present “Leading With Grit & Grace” to its senior women executives. When the sponsor asked me to describe the content of the presentation, I said, “It’s about how women can wield their power and influence more effectively.” Their response? ”Whatever you do, don’t mention the word power in your presentation!” [...]
Women’s History Month has always kind of bugged me, the same way Valentine’s Day has. Do we really need to designate a day to remind us to say “I love you?” Or a month to remember all the ways in which women have shaped the world? Women’s History Month can easily become one of those [...]
I recently read an article in the Washington Post called “What Men Can Learn From Women About Leadership.” Its central premise is that male leaders could stand to learn a thing or two from their female counterparts. While this premise seems true to me, I’m wondering how useful it is. Here’s the problem I keep encountering. Once [...]
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“Political and Economic Might” – Is This the Definition of ‘Power’ We Want?
Forbes has just published its annual list of the world’s 100 Most Powerful Women. I applaud these women for their amazing impact and success, and I applaud Forbes for recognizing them. Yet it makes me wonder. Do Forbes’ more traditional criteria for power – “political and economic might” – seem broad enough? These are good [...]