The Majorette Becomes President

With great excitement, I attended a civic organization's inauguration of their first female president recently. Imagine a leading civic group with a 90+ year history, appointing a female to lead. Halalua! Was it the tortoise or the hare that said "slow and steady" wins the race?

As the new female president stepped to the podium to share her acceptance speech, she opened with humility and with a humorous look at how the group may fare with a female at the helm. She had captured the heart and interest of all.

She went on to share a powerful insight on the broad strengths and talents in the room and how this group had the potential to influence the future of the community. We should all celebrate the success of this new president and stand behind her with great resolve. I'm confident her leadership will be transformational.

How do we as women leaders effectively use soft and hard power to get the job done? How do we get comfortable breaking out of the mold?

According to Harvard professor and leadership expert, Joseph Nye, Jr., the balance of soft power and hard power combines as "smart power" and generates trust and mobilizes people around forward looking agendas. Hard power is considered directive, coercion type activities. While soft power is focuses on the tools of attraction and emotional appeal.

"If you think of classic women leaders- Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, and Golda Meir- they all came up fighting the gender stereotype and emphasizing the Iron Lady aspect of their leadership", writes Nye. He goes on to site several women leaders in our age that have achieved the use of smart power, but says women still have to play "against the gender stereotype that women are soft". With the prevailing view that business is becoming flatter and more dependent on networks with less hierarchy, business leaders in the future will need to exert more soft power.

So what does this mean for women as leaders today? I say turn in your baton!! You have the natural ability to use smart power. Lead!! Lead!! Lead!! That means inspire others with a compelling vision, define an organizational strategy to achieve the vision and mobilize people to perform.. then get out of the way!! Who knows, maybe you'll have time to help your daughter practice her fencing!

For more information about our executive coaching services for women leaders, contact me at jenny.whitener@bcillp.com.