http://www.sherylkline.com/blog
I hope your year is off to a healthy, productive, and impactful start!
What do you love about what you do?
For me, I love being the guide so you, your team, or your colleagues can be the hero.
While very aware of the importance of data, it’s not so exciting to me.
There was, however, some notable data that came out of 2021 that (I feel) is important for you to know, so we can learn and improve from it.
First, the ‘not so good news’ uncovered from a pre-coaching assessment that was filled by the 10 female heart-centered leaders I was so honored to have worked with 1:1 in 2021 as well as the facilitations done for their managers and from the virtual speaking events that reached thousands.
Female leaders are still feeling silenced, overlooked, and disregarded by their leadership.
This is exacerbating overwhelm and burnout.
Change is happening, but these inequities are not spoken about or addressed quick enough.
I’d like to first acknowledge those who have dedicated their career to making this right and instituting real change. I know very intimately from some of them (you know who you are:) the joy and frustration that comes from this noble pursuit.
I’d also like to invite you to imagine for a moment what could happen if women were unencumbered by fear and doubt, able to dream big, and go from feeling silenced, overlooked, disregarded, or depleted to being heard, valued, and energized agents of change. If ALL women were able gain clarity, to put a stake in the ground for what’s most important to them and for the legacy they’d like to leave behind.
Powerful.
Here’s "some good news" and hope in the form of a case study of a female leader who’s been able to do just that, even in the last two years of intense disruption.
But it didn’t start that way.
While she was a highly confident, effective, and respected by her North American team, her global peers did not have confidence in her nor did they show her the respect she knows she wanted and deserved. She was also not part of the "boys club" who the CEO would summon for advice and input.
Now, two years later, she’s not only caught the attention of her CEO because of her region’s remarkable growth under the extreme challenges brought on in 2020 and 2021, she has his attention as a strategic advisor and an active partner to deliver company-wide change from the top down. Did I mention that her CEO shared that she is now ‘the golden standard’ that her global (male) peers look to emulate?
She is good for business and great for opening her leaderships eyes to the benefit of helping everyBODY feel equal and included.
Her vision is clear. She’s confident in her ability to challenge her leadership and influence up, and she has a front row seat AND respected voice at the table.
What changed?
She learned new tools to access her highest sense of leadership that was already within her, but maybe just previously inaccessible as well as how to gain influence with her leadership in a firm, courageous yet compassionate and sustainable way.
The first step to doing this was to develop what I call an ECO mindset prior to any crucial conversation, especially when attempting to influence up. In other words, to develop "E"mpathy (Ask, have I considered what it’s like to be the other person? Really take on his or her persona.), "C"uriosity (’If I am the OTHER person, how do I feel? What pressure/stress am I under? What is important to me?) "O"ptimism (How would I like this to turn out? I am confident we can have a win/win.).
Read more at: https://www.sherylkline.com/blog/there-is-reason-for-optimism-in-2022