I can identify three major challenges I have faced in my leadership journey thus far.
First, I voluntarily stepped away from a high paying role without a job offer and a clear understanding of what I was going to next. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life because I finally felt like I had the freedom to choose what I wanted to do versus doing what people expected me to do.
Second, I have lacked confidence at times during my career. In the past, I have felt like I wasn’t keeping up with the other “high performers” in the company. My style was different; how I worked was different from my peers and I was convinced that my way must not be the best way. I doubted that people were actually comfortable with giving me honest feedback because of my positions as a black, female leader. All of these thoughts compounded and made me feel very uncertain.
I doubted whether what I achieved was meaningful or if I was making a difference. I felt like I lacked measurable wins and achievements when in reality I had accomplished a lot but I was too humble to feel comfortable talking about and celebrating my accomplishments.
Finally, my transition from marketing to operations was a terrifying leap of faith that has turned out to be one of the most interesting career moves I have ever made.
Was there ever a moment where your confidence in your leadership was shaken?
Getting comfortable with my style of leadership has taken a while. I’m a connector and listener and enjoy teamwork and doing things together. I like to process, reflect and then speak or act. My way of leading is not typically an aggressive, in-your-face style. I influence through persuasion, not intimation. It has taken awhile for me to know, and accept, that my leadership style is different, yet effective at getting work done.
What more can be done to ensure that leadership skills are being cultivated in young girls?
As female leaders, we need to talk about leadership and mentor young girls so that they will model leadership behaviors. Girls should aspire to be leaders in their schools, homes, communities, workplaces and we should talk about this and celebrate it. We should remind young girls that it’s ok to be the one in charge or to lead. It’s ok to own a decision, good or bad. We should teach girls that they are resourceful and if or when you fail, you should learn from it as most mistakes are recoverable. We don’t have to be perfect.
Personally, I learn from doing and observing so I often model or role-play situations that happen in one-on-one situations or behind closed doors. I also try to lead by example by being visible. We need to expose young female leaders to other women who are leaders in their own right.
Finally, we should coach each other, share with each other, and learn from each other. Too often, mistakes are repeated because people lack vulnerability to share their experiences. We have to be candid and frank with each other to show the next generation of female leaders that leadership does not have to be scary.
What advice do you have for women who are interested in leadership positions at their companies?
I give this advice to people all of the time – vocalize your desires and goals out into the universe. Your words become action. Share your dreams with people you trust and start to actualize your plan. Things work out when you start believing and affirming that it is achievable.
What can be done to bring more women onto corporate and nonprofit boards to create more opportunities for leadership for women?
Corporate and nonprofit boards need to become more transparent about their needs and also their recruitment. There is a gap in understanding what corporate and nonprofit boards need, whether it be talent, fundraising, or other areas that need to be identified. There is also a gap in what one stands to gain from participating, and the process for navigating the two.
Boards should also be more transparent about their needs and think more broadly about how they recruit new board members. If the boards’ needs are solely financial, there will automatically be capable leaders who are excluded. In addition, it’s less likely that an organization will successfully diversify their talent pools if the existing board is the primary source of new talent.
Current board members and vehicles such as Chicago Woman Magazine can help advance this conversation. The goal is to help boards pitch their needs transparently and help them connect with and recruit from all the capable talent that is available.