Indore (Madhya Pradesh): “A strong female leadership is not the unrealistic pursuit of perfection. An authentic female leader is a woman who embraces all her facets. Only when we are a true version of ourselves can we empower others”, said Sonal Sisodia, while addressing a session organised by Indore Management Association’s Women Forum. Sisodia is the principal Daly College of Business Management.
The session was based on inter active talk on the topic ‘Discover, Design and be…in 2023’. Sonal Sisodia said that accomplished women face pervasive bias. Even with identical leadership styles and identical actions, we tend to judge the woman more harshly. Thus, a woman has to be more firm in putting across her perspective.
Warmth and strength are both paramount. Women have warmth, characterized by trust, empathy, compassion, and fairness and strength, which includes professional competence. We must know our worth. Don’t let your self-worth be determined by another person’s arbitrary notion of what they believe you are supposed to be. Women must also know and communicate their worth, whether asking for a better financial package, or standing up when facing a discriminatory situation at work or home.
She called upon women be authentic. Being an authentic leader doesn’t mean being transparent. It means knowing yourself. Your strengths and your weaknesses. So well that you become unshakable.
Follow your own path. I’ve learned that if you tune in to your inner self, it will lead you in the right direction. Acting out of fear won’t make you happy, but acting out of love will set you on the right path. Men and women react differently to stress. While men experience testosterone-fueled ‘fight or flight’ feelings when they feel attacked, women release oxytocin, which leads them to ‘tend and befriend,’ or nurture and care for others.
Dr. Sisodia said seek Out Specific Advice. Women need to be aggressive about learning what they don’t know about the playing fields they are on, or locating mentors who give them the difficult feedback that can help them improve.
She called upon women to invest in yourself. just being “nice” and accommodating requests for our efforts and time are not in her best interests. Manifest intellectual humility and social humility. In the first, you know what you don’t know and you are unafraid of being around people who are smarter, more experienced, and more successful, and it doesn’t rock your confidence. Social humility is the ability to allow others to shine, and to share the spotlight.
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