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Blog - Linda's Views
Becoming an Empowered Leader
Becoming an Empowered Leader
Join me at University of Indianapolis on March 8th, 2012 for a workshop on:
Leadership and Balance from a Woman's Point of View!
Enhancing yourself enhances your leadership capabilities.
There’s a school of thought that in order to be a successful leader, you need to be successful first inside your own mind As is true with all great achievers, the beginning starts within. Knowing your goals and setting your own standards, developing and realizing them, sets the stage for dynamic leadership.
Becoming an Empowered Leader requires developing yourself by using your heart, your brain and your innate and intuitive feminine qualities. Combine these intrinsically and uniquely feminine approaches to leadership with the following four elements, and a leader of greatness can emerge.
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Nurturing
As part of the feminine principle, the ability to nurture has for all time been a quality that sets our femaleness apart from traditional masculine types. Bill Lamond, in his book Born to Lead tells us that “Men live in a cause-and-effect world. Everything must be explained and accounted for. Women live in a world of magic and miracle. We are not trying to control the world we live in. We want to cooperate with it.”
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Nourishing
Along with being nurturers, we are nourishers. We realize the need for filling ourselves up, taking care of our bodies, realizing that at the end of the day rest, relaxation and giving ourselves pleasure is a part of creating that sense of balance so necessary for clear thinking and a healthy body. And we realize that not only do we need this to be effective leaders, the people who look to us to lead need it, as well. By nourishing herself and others, the true feminine leader creates the ability for her and those she leads to give their very best. She creates an atmosphere of encouragement for each individual to be at his or her own peak of productivity by understanding the need for nourishment of self.
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Finding your Voice
A clear voice is able to express visions and desires. A clear voice leads with intention because the goals, the vision, the final outcome is clear and well-communicated . The participants understand the leader’s vision because it is presented as a well-thought out plan.
To communicate with others your intentions, developing yourself and understanding your own direction clearly is the first step. Once done, a leader shares succinctly and simply her intent, keeping in mind the bigger picture of the relationship. Sharing your truth and asking for the truth of others while striving for clarification and understanding creates successful partnerships.
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Taking a Stand
Taking a stand on what you believe enables you to place yourself firmly in the center of your truth and declare it. It is the “posture” you assume toward yourself and those around you, making your intentions and your commitments clear to all. When you hold true to your beliefs and commitments you take a stand for what is important to you and demonstrate the qualities of a leader. Your very understanding of who you are demonstrates commitment and perseverance.
How do you develop within yourself these leadership qualities? What actions can you take to start the work of self-development and nourishment to become a person of vision and greatness? You begin by evaluating yourself as a potential leader, developing your strengths, finding your weak areas and seeking knowledge and education to get stronger.
Exercise your innate abilities of nurturance by taking care of yourself first, then others. Practice and perfect the art of communicating by finding and expressing your voice to others with intention therefore bringing about clarity and simplicity to projects. Finally, understand your own beliefs and commitments and take a stand for them.
Information about Linda Rendleman, author, speaker and founder of Business Women Connect, Inc. cofounder of the Women Like Us Foundation, and the Women Like Us Book Series.
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