What does it mean to be a female leader? How can one become fearless leader who isn’t afraid to speak their mind and to act in a man’s business world?
Leadership by definition is the ability to motivate oneself and others to take positive action toward a goal and to create a change for the better. To do so, it takes boldness, courage, persistence, faith and fearlessness.
Being fearless is the result of practice rather than a heroic trait. We can all learn and develop ‘courageous competency’.
Courageous leaders must established strong credibility first. Being a leader requires having a positive influence to the others – it’s not a title!
Anyone has the ability and responsibility to drive change. It takes courage to become a leader, an entrepreneur, a strong woman, a mother, a good wife. We are not born with some of the skills that make us good at that, but we sure can become good at anything we set our minds to.
Being a courageous leader is not about speaking up not about making a point, but driving positive organisational change. It all starts with possessing some of the qualities that a fearless, strong and graceful woman has to become a true leader. What are those qualities?
Respect: A Gracious Woman respects herself and other women.
She respects herself enough to stand tall, appreciate her values, beliefs and her own unique identity. She respects the integrity of other women’s person hoods, and she treats other women as she would like to be treated herself.
Resilience: A Gracious Woman will get back on her horse.
She realizes that a disappointment only identifies opportunities to learn, grow and be better prepared for the next opportunity. She learns to disconnect her identity from her work and not give up when she faces a setback. For women aspiring to roles of leadership, being overlooked for a promotion or a key opportunity can be all it takes to confirm our insecurities and suspicious of her inability to succeed.
She has the resilience to get back on her horse, she learns to deal with failure, comments, insults or whatever else is thrown at her with the confidence to fight for what she believes in.
Courage: A Gracious Woman is strong at heart.
Her courage is not for display. Her courage is not natural. It is decision to combat a negative environment with positive energy. She takes the initiative to do something new despite the natural hesitancy that fear may produce.
Persistence: A Gracious Woman is committed to her goals.
She stays patient yet persistent in the pursuit of her dreams and goals. A female leader drives to balance her professional obligations with her life outside of work.
The most effective women in business maintain a clear vision of what they wish to achieve, both in short term and over the long term.
Passion: A Gracious Woman has a fire in her soul.
A gracious woman, shy or engaging, quiet or outgoing, she has a personal stake in the life that she leads and she strives to make the most of it.
She sets her own goals and weighs her successes and failures by her own measures. She gets back up because she must.Because she feels the drive to achieve. Her passion is her fuel and her dreams have no bounds.
Women have been historically stereotyped not as human beings but as emotional beings. Now it widely recognized that authentic leaders have a passion for what they do, they connect at a feeling level to their employees and customers, they admit and express their vulnerabilities and thus gain credibility and respect.
Value: A Gracious Woman is worthy.
Worthy of trust, faith, praise, admiration, respect and love. She knows that both her life and her company have value, and she expects others to understand it. She knows exactly how much she is worth, and she demands that others respect her accordingly.
She is honest about her shortcomings and faces them with an open mind and a brave heart. She says what she means and she means what she says.
Women may not always realize how poised for success they are in leadership roles, but their potential and abilities are undeniable.
Women executives are equally qualified to lead organisations in top executive roles. If you are looking to take inspiration from successful women leaders to develop your own career, remember it is these competences, qualities and skills that will enable you to connect, engage and succeed.
Does this sound like the woman that you are or want to become?
Biz in Heels is here to support you all the way and ensure you become a fearless, gracious woman, who can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.