You Need This: Leaders On Embracing Power, Overcoming Obstacles, Leading with Resilience & Taking Risks
Sophia Jackson Myles was one of many inspirational leaders at the recent Power Up Conference: The Big RE. (Photo by Karianne Munstedt.)
Your internal obstacles are as powerful as your external obstacles at preventing you from realizing your full potential. But there are key strategies to overcoming both kinds of barriers.
Hope Timberlake, coach, trainer and author of Speak Up, Dammit: How To Quiet Your Fears, Polish Your Presence and Share Your Voice shared with a virtual audience at the recent 2022 Power Up Conference: The Big RE, how you can manage fears and get to making impact and change.
“@Hopetimber, coach, trainer and author of Speak Up, Dammit: How To Quiet Your Fears, Polish Your Presence and Share Your Voice shared with a virtual audience at the recent 2022 #PowerUpConference: The Big RE, how you can manage fears and get to making impact and change. #leadership”
The first of 10 declarations that prevent many from sharing their voice is “I’m not prepared.” Timberlake said to counter that belief, you can test the waters with smaller steps, then create structure around your project and categorize your ideas.
“I’m the only” is another internal obstacle, though it is very real externally. “You may be the only woman, only POC, only neurotypes, oldest or youngest,” Timberlake said, ‘But your perspective matters and you are in the room for a reason.”
““I’m the only” is another internal obstacle, though it is very real externally. “You may be the only woman, only POC, only neurotypes, oldest or youngest,” @Hopetimber said, ‘But your perspective matters and you are in the room for a reason.” #speakup #empowerment”
The fear of speaking into the abyss is a big one and Timberlake advises to remember “WIIFM,” or the acronym for answering the questions for your listeners to what’s in it for me. “Offer the benefit and impact for your listeners, then you will feel more comfortable sharing your ideas.”
The self-criticism that “I ramble” can be counteracted with the practice of recording yourself, listening and asking a colleague to tell you if that is the case. A three-second pause when you are speaking is also helpful.
And yes, it is true, you may be in a room where people interrupt you. “Rehearse your response,” Timberlake said. “Set the tone, as you lean in, set the expectation. You can be vocally assertive and name the behavior.”
“And yes, it is true, you may be in a room where people interrupt you. “Rehearse your response,” @Hopetimber said. “Set the tone, as you lean in, set the expectation. You can be vocally assertive and name the behavior.” #publicspeaking”
“I worry about sounding stupid” is another internal obstacle that can be addressed by flipping the script with curiosity and a beginner’s mindset.
The idea that you cannot get a word in edgewise is slightly different than the interruption obstacle. You may be in an environment where everyone is talking over each other, Timberlake said. She suggested you unmute, open your mouth, lean in and find an ally to back you up ahead of time.
Fearing that you will be disruptive because you disagree is common and comes from not wanting to create tension, Timberlake said. “Demonstrate the balance of strength and warmth to be effective,” she said. Use questions you craft in advance to steer the conversation back to productivity.
The final obstacle is the notion that you always ruminate. “Let it go,” Timberlake advised. “It’s so important because we need to celebrate different ideas. Build discomfort immunity.”
“Embracing Your Power” was the goal of the virtual session by Sonia Jackson Myles, founder and CEO of Sister Accord, who is on a mission “to have one million women and girls learn how to love themselves and each other. It is time for us to come together and support one another to move to the next level of excellence.”
““Embracing Your Power” was the goal of the virtual session by @Thesisteraccord, founder and CEO of Sister Accord, who is on a mission “to have one million women and girls learn how to love themselves and each other.” #empowered #women”
With highly successful stints in her career at Ford Motor Co., Gillette and later Proctor & Gamble, Myles said she had $20 billion in corporate responsibility, but found that she was not living in the present or acknowledging her own power.
Walking away from her corporate career “so I could walk in my power,” involved creating a grid with four gradients she honored equally: family, life, passions & purpose and career, said Myles, author of 51 Ways to Love your Sister; 51 Ways to Love Your Children and 7 Essential Steps to Bringing Your Dream to Life.
“You have to embrace and balance your career. One of the biggest stressors is when our actions do not line up” with purpose, Myles said.
The first step towards that goal is to define your own super power, why you have it and when you can use it. “The authenticity of your super power shines brightly when you walk in that power to deign your destiny.”
Sharing that her fear of the word power was a roadblock, Myles said she was invited by Essence magazine years ago to receive an award as a Woman of Power. She told her boss she was not going to take the award because of her own negative narrative around the word and the concept; her boss told her she needed to receive it.
“That was the beginning of facing my fears and knowing I could accept my power so I could make a difference in the lives of other people,” Myles said.
Everyone can create a Power Plan and embrace their super power after discovering what areas in your life have you neglected to use your power. Then you can move into actualizing with a timeline of action, someone to hold you accountable and the notion of how you will define success.
Success has been integral in the lives and careers of the three entrepreneurs discussing “The Entrepreneur Journey: Preparing For Prime Time” with Loretta McCarthy, Michelle Tran and Maggie Sanchez, all Take the Lead board members.
“#Success has been integral in the lives and careers of the three #entrepreneurs discussing “The Entrepreneur Journey: Preparing For Prime Time” with @LorettaMcCarthy, Michelle Tran and Maggie Sanchez, all @Takeleadwomen board members. ”
McCarthy, co-CEO and managing partner of Golden Seeds, sought to glean tips for start up entrepreneurs not just in teach but in every sector.
Sanchez, investor, entrepreneur and digital transformation consultant, said as an entrepreneur it is critical to first set up “big golden goals with vision, motivating people and knowing how you will convince an ecosystem” of the value of your vision.
Setting up the team is critical, Sanchez said. “You have to hire the right people and every person counts.” In addition, building powerful networks of potential funders, think tanks, universities, customers is crucial.
Grit is essential, Sanchez said. “It’s about resilience, hard work, commitment and believing when no one else does.”
Tran, founder of NYC Fintech Women, head of enterprise sales and senior vice president at Vestwell, said, “Scrappiness is important. You have to step out of your comfort zone and be intentional. Part of that is having vision.” And that vision must include diversity in leadership.
“Tran, founder of @NYCFintechWomen, head of enterprise sales and senior vice president at @Vestwell, said, “Scrappiness is important. You have to step out of your comfort zone and be intentional. Part of that is having vision.” #diversity #leadership”
Those leadership skills transfer across all sectors and for companies of any size, Sanchez said.
According to Tran, many people try to “segment’ out your role as entrepreneur in tech, but she said everybody is involved in tech.
“Technology touches every industry,” Sanchez said. “There are two broad categories, tech that is disrupting and tech that is trying to solve a problem.”
Sanchez also said there is a phase when a startup is in the “ideation stage, on the side,” and the entrepreneur must lean into the bigger plan. Creating a personal budget, knowing the viability and what milestones to look for can help with the timing of going fulltime on the startup.
“A lot of startup life is romanticized,” Trans said. But she said you must h ave the stamina to see it through.
McCarthy added, “When we see companies come for funding, we ask are you ready now to do it full time?”
The establishment of a fair and inclusive culture is absolutely critical when starting an enterprise, Tran said. “Start with the first employee with communication, transparency, support, mental health as well. Set a foundation of getting to know people.”
“The establishment of a fair and #inclusive culture is absolutely critical when starting an enterprise, Tran said. “Start with the first employee with communication, transparency, support, mental health as well. Set a foundation of getting to know people.” #workplaceculture”
Sanchez said, “Great companies triumph through culture. You have to be creative about building trust.”
While Tran said the workplaces is not far enough along on DEI, she said, “I think the awareness is there. The outward motions of wanting to be diverse are there, but we are real slow to have real diversity. It has to be authentic and true. You have to be intentional about pipelines. You need to see representation across the board.”
Sanchez agreed. “Diversity is not a charitable act. Diversity improves performance. After many decades, we are still chipping away.”
In another session, ”Leading In The Hybrid Workforce with Agility and Resilience,” Janet Fouts, founder of Nearly Mindful, author, human potential facilitator, and mindfulness coach, addressed the ways everyone can be more mindful.
“We often do things as a kneejerk response,”Fouts said. “But when you respond mindfully, it feels good.”
People—and especially women—say yes too much, Fouts said. “For every yes, there is another no. it makes us less efficient. We need to stop trying to do everything.“
“People—and especially women—say yes too much, @Jfouts said. “For every yes, there is another no. it makes us less efficient. We need to stop trying to do everything.“ #nomeansno #leadershiptips”
For her virtual audience, Fouts defined resilience as “the ability to bounce back from adversity, When we’re resilient, we can see options more clearly. Agile leadership is clear, concise communication and the ability to listen fully, process and respond appropriately.”
