Yesterday, I attended a Women in Leadership workshop hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Chevening Secretariat. First, kudos to the three male scholars who attended. *clapping hands emoji*
Second, the energy from everyone in attendance was so electrifying that I cannot help but be excited by what the future holds for each individual. I can safely assume that I don’t speak for myself when I say that we did not leave Woburn House –where the workshop took place, the same way we came in. Watch out world, there is a formidable force on its way with this lot!
Back to the workshop itself, the speakers of the day left us with a lot to chew on, and a few goals to follow up on. Some of the tips are things we have heard before but it never hurts to hear them again. In fact we need to hear them again. Here were some of my highlights:
From Ruth Shaw, Head of Campaigns and Engagement at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Sometimes you have to bite off more than you can chew. Feel the fear that comes with this and do it anyway. There will always be someone there to help you along.
- Know your value, and never shy away from negotiating your pay.
- Network, network, network.
From Rina Goldenberg Lynch, Founder and Managing Director at Voice at the Table
- Our femininity can be our strength especially since research has shown that the ethos of modern leaders are more feminine than men.
- Feminism is not a cause to push men out of the way, it’s a call for gender equality.
- Get rid of the imposter syndrome by looking at the objective evidence around you that proves that you are not an imposter.
- Embrace taking risks by weighing the cost of inaction –how you will feel later if you don’t take the risk.
- Hit a road block? Think ‘how do I get around it?’ instead of ‘no, I can’t get through’.
- Just freakin’ do it!
- Be aware of radiators and drains aka people or things that give you life vs those that suck the life out of you.
- Stop and breathe.
From Amanda Cullen, Associate at Voice at the Table
- Anytime you’ve taken responsibility for something has been a form of leadership –even if you it was not officially stated.
- We all have different styles of leadership. What works for one person may not work for another. You can read about this on Amanda’s blog.
- Sometimes, you may be required to adapt a different leadership style in order to accomplish a specific task.
- Learn your leadership style and make the most of it.
Here is to fearlessly pursuing whatever comes my way!