Do you ever wonder what’s holding you back at work or why you aren’t being more assertive? Could it be because you have to deal with people in your life who are a little older, have more experience and believe they are wiser than you? You may find yourself hearing the old phrase, “back in…
It’s something many female leaders don’t want to confront in their personal lives, so it stands to reason they would never consider it a positive trait in the workplace. Furthermore, the media often portrays it as a weakness, or it’s used for comic relief. What is it? It’s vulnerability.
The great leaders of our time have had the ability to get a populace enthused about the future, but our great leaders have rarely come from the corporate world. It’s because emphasis hasn’t been placed on the development of strategic narratives until recently. On the flip side, statistics show those companies with strong narratives – Starbucks, Alcoa, Walmart – have the most engaged employees. The difference between a merely satisfied and a fully engaged employee? As it turns out, 100%. You can’t do much better than that.
It’s something many female leaders don’t want to confront in their personal lives, so it stands to reason they would never consider it a positive trait in the workplace. Furthermore, the media often portrays it as a weakness, or it’s used for comic relief. What is it? It’s vulnerability.
Most of my clients pay much attention to developing hard skills in hopes of fast-tracking promotions.
Hard skills are essential of course, but if you want to venture into a leadership role you must develop your softer skills. I’ve found that a growing number of organizations prefer leaders who possess sharp emotional intelligence, personal awareness and a sense of service. In my most recent article for Forbes, I share more about the search for leaders with soft skills.