Today, there is no shortage of information at our fingertips. Data, statistics, words of wisdom and qualitative research can come at us with lightning speed, from a myriad of sources and in a variety of forms. According to Fast Company, we consume five times as much information today as we did 35 years ago. That’s the equivalent of 174 newspapers.
So how do you keep track of it all, and find credible women’s leadership resources that are relevant to the career path you’re on?
This month, Her New Standard has done little curating for you! Below are some of our picks for the best go-to resources that will help set your path toward successful, solid, wholehearted leadership. To be a good leader, you can’t just rely on one resource to help guide your way: being effective means that you need a professional balance between fact and feelings to make sound business judgments and informed decisions. Here are just a few of our favorites:
Online Resources
Harvard Business Review’s Women Leadership
HBR’s site is chock full of great articles that get at the heart of what it means for women to lead in today’s world. Gender parity, inaccurate perceptions of female leadership, and unseen barriers are some of the noteworthy topics.
One insightful article focused on how female leaders are perceived negatively when they lean too heavily on the traits that are seen as normal for their male counterparts. In How Women Manage the Gendered Norms of Leadership, HBR interviewed senior female leaders in the U.S. and shared the collective paradoxes with which they found women struggling. According to their research, women need to:
1) Demand high performance from their employees, yet still show that they care.
2) Show competence, yet also show vulnerability in order to collaborate.
3) Advocate for their own goals, yet also show that they support and serve others’ goals.
4) Maintain a professional distance, yet also appear approachable to employees.
The article suggests that in order to successfully navigate these paradoxes, women must blend awareness with strategies to mitigate them, such as being able to read a situation and adapt to it, using their own personal leadership style, and building relationships first, before being tough and demanding.
Catalyst: Workplaces that Work for Women
Catalyst is a well-respected global nonprofit which helps organizations accelerate progress for women leaders through pioneering research and practical tools. Some of their timely and relevant hot topics address inclusion, gender bias, unconscious bias, pay equality and future workplace trends. Browse their site and you will find infographics, webinars, statistics and tools that you can share with your teams to help facilitate more productive discussions.
Here’s one of our favorite infographics on how men can help create workplaces that work for all: Actions Men Can Take to Create an Inclusive Workspace
Motivational and Informational
TedTalks on Women’s Leadership
We love TedTalks! This list highlights the top talks on women leadership that spur action and courage. They include Sheryl Sandberg on leaning in and why there are not enough female leaders, Margaret Heffernan on daring to disagree and how it leads to personal greatness, Susan Colantuono on the importance of business acumen for women who want to advance, Rosalinde Torres on the need to engage others, understand business and find personal greatness, and Melanie Hobson on being “color brave.” Each talk will energize and motivate you to stretch yourself.
Emotional Intelligence
Brené Brown
Many experts can guide you toward a promising path of leadership with data, experience and coaching but Brené Brown focuses on the trait that most try to avoid when leading people: vulnerability. If you haven’t seen Brown’s TedTalk on vulnerability, watch it here. Her message, in all of her work, is about the importance of having enough courage to be vulnerable in order to cultivate deeper, whole-hearted relationships. Brown’s latest book, Dare to Lead, builds on this basic tenet and invites readers to act in spite of fear and uncertainty. This makes vulnerability a sign of strength, not weakness. She also stresses that leaders must be clear about their core values, like justice, kindness and honesty. In tough times, leaders can let their values guide them, which leads to resiliency.
Click here for more great resources on women and leadership
Sometimes it seems the hardest part about growing as a woman leader is getting organized and laying the right foundation. Leadership resources are now limitless and it can seem daunting, but this list is a great place to start. Despite the information overwhelm we face on a daily basis, success will come when you surround yourself with the right inspiration, and the right plan for leading yourself as well as others.
Interested in learning how HNS can support your women leaders?
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