Celebrating Women Part 2

Inspirational Women

Part 2 – Being one

Nadine Kater

Inspirational women have exceptional

influence &presence.

They lead, and they inspire others to follow.

“Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of

people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned.

Leadership is self-made, self-retained, self-inculcated and then exposed through a faithful, sincere and exemplary life.”

Israelmore Ayivor

“All men and women with the brains, the desire, and the perseverance to lead should be encouraged to fulfill their

potential and leave their mark.”

McKinsey & Co.

McKinsey Leadership Project

Interviewed 85 women across the globe who all share a goal to make a difference in the wider world

+ consulted with experts in leadership, psychology, organizational behavior and biology

= Leadership Model with 5 dimensions

Leadership Model: Centered Leadership

Dim

ensio

n 1

:

Meanin

g• Defined: The motivation that moves

us, enables discovery of what interests us, pushes us to the limit.

• Without it: work is a chore.

• With it: a job becomes a calling. The heart beats faster, you are energised and inspired.

• To find it: Look for patterns in jobs that have and haven’t worked out and talk with others about your experiences.

• Defined: basing priorities on activities that energize you, at the office and at home, actively managing your resources to avoid sapping your reserves

• Without it: burnout, throwing in the towel

• With it: ‘Flow’, you don’t notice the time that passes

• To find it: Pause, think about what puts a spring in your step. Intersperse that with things that don’t. Take time out to restore and revive your energy.

Dim

ensio

n 2

:

Managin

g E

nerg

y

Dim

ensio

n 3

:

Positiv

e Fra

min

g• Defined: using a positive frame of mind to

view the world, to process experiences and to take action

• Without it: sense of helplessness and being stuck, energy-depleting rumination

• With it: confident to manage challenges and

move teams quickly to action (rather than denying challenges exist)

• To find it: Enhance optimism through self

awareness. Talk things through with trusted colleagues, learn, limit thoughts to temporary and specific impact and keep them impersonal. Make a specific plan and act on it.

Do things that restore your energy.

Dim

ensio

n 4

:

Connectin

g• Defined: relationships, including with

senior colleagues willing to go beyond the role of mentor, often called ‘sponsors’

• Without it: sense of belonging and meaning compromised, full efficacy not leveraged

• With it: people with strong networks and good mentors enjoy more promotions, higher pay, and greater career satisfaction

• To find it: assess influence of those within your network, find sponsors, build networks, inside and outside of work. Exercise reciprocity – provide and ask for help on a regular basis.

Dim

ensio

n 5

:

Engagin

g• Defined: engage with opportunities by

taking ownership of them, accept risk as part of opportunity

• Without it: belief that hard work will eventually be noticed and rewarded, but often, it isn’t

• With it: people who make a choice for risk and work with it, rather than avoid it, report a greater degree of happiness than others

• To find it: find your own voice and speak up, embrace opportunities, accept risk, reach out to others, own your professional development.

Centered Leadership Recap

1 A shared purpose with deep meaning for the people involved

2 Explicit awareness and management of energy

3 Positive framing

4 Strong informal and formal networks

5 The collaborative creation of opportunities

Find your voice.

Find your inspiration.

Be inspirational.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

 ― Mahatma Gandhi  

Nadine on Twitter: @KaterNadine Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nadinekater/ Linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/in/nadinekater

Thank you

Sources:Centered leadership: How talented women thrivehttp://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/centered_leadership_how_talented_women_thrive