Insights

L is for Leadership

It’s been said that with great power, comes great responsibility.

This year, I participated as a planning committee member for the WELD 2010 Women You Should Know Calendar. My experience as a writer for the calendar afforded me the opportunity to sit down with the 2010 honorees and learn about their responsibilities as a Central Ohio business leader.

WELD (Women for Economic Leadership and Development) promotes business growth through relevant and meaningful programming for women in corporate jobs, small companies, and business owners alike. Every year, the “Women You Should Know Calendar” celebrates the leadership styles of 12 Central Ohio professional women. The calendar encourages the business community not only to know who these women are, but to listen to, learn from and absorb their stories.

Through 12 meetings with 12 honorees, I received the unique experience of listening to their stories, infused with very different styles of leadership. There was so much knowledge, wisdom, insight, and hindsight that each woman shared, I wondered how I would capture everything into one calendar.

The experience made me realize that these women rose to the top by using their own voice, their own ideas and their own approach. The mold was there for the breaking and they were not afraid to take a swing.

It turns out that each honoree defined leadership differently. Their professional climb was marked by very different challenges, experiences and successes. They came to be the leader they are today through many different avenues, but similarly, they all understood that with their power, comes great responsibility. Each 2010 honoree reminded me in many different ways what it means to be a leader.

Here are 12 things to contemplate about power, responsibility and leadership:

1. Help people achieve their highest and best and always facilitate the brilliance within your staff.
2. The key to leadership is your integrity – without it, you have nothing.
3. Get involved in your community; serve on boards and be of service.
4. Always remember that not everyone thinks and operates the way you do; people have different strengths. Learn how to leverage those strengths.
5. Be oblivious to negativity and discrimination. Thinking about them only gives way to angst and frustration.
6. Honesty and truth? Own it. That’s what a leader does.
7. There is an art in collecting and harvesting wisdom. Share it with others, always.
8. You can have a very successful company without being the entire brand.
9. Leverage all of the talent all of the time. Value others and believe in them.
10. Always be sincere in your approach in anything that you do.
11. It’s important that we realize we don’t always have to have it all figured out.
12. You have the ability to choose. Choose your attitude, your work and your day. Your staff is watching the choices you make every day.

The 2010 WELD Women You Should Know Calendar will be distributed to the community in November, 2009. For more information, please contact Kim Phillips.

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