Echo-Boomer Legacy Rises From The Ashes

September 9, 2011 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

Thanks to a great woman boomer legacy leader, Marlo Thomas, for her article on the young women who lost parents during the 09/11/01 events of 10 years ago.  The "Daughters of 9/11" she profiles and asks us to listen to are also legacy leaders

I was particularly struck by the example of Susan Esposito Lombardo, whose 51 year old father, Billy "Scoop" Esposito went to work that morning at financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald. She was getting ready for school and had a phone conversation with him at around 8:20 am - the last she would ever have. At 8:46 am the World Trade Towers were hit and he never came home again.

Her father lived by a motto that his mother taught him – and he taught her: "If you have it, you give it." Though he worked in the financial services industry, his own upbringing had been meager and he valued education, which he struggled to get and made sure his own children had the opportunity to get more of. His biggest lessons to his daughter were “to be kind to everyone, love one another and believe in yourself.” And she took them to heart.
 
From the ashes of the tragedy that was 9/11, Lombardo and her family decided to start a charitable foundation in Scoop's honor. True heartfelt underlying values and people's personal experiences and passions always form the basis for such activities. In this case, they culminated in the formation of the only bereavement center for kids in Manhattan called "A Caring Hand."  Its mission is "to meet bereaved children and families wherever they are in their grief and fulfill their needs in a caring and knowledgeable environment through services to help them with their emotional journey and financial assistance to aid their future education."
 
Lombardo explains the legacy she is building, and the involvement of others who have been attracted to support it, this way: "Contributions from all of you will help my father's legacy live on and help touch so many other children that have experienced the tragedy of losing a parent as my brother and I have experienced." Indeed, "Scoop" should be proud of her efforts to help his memory live on, via the creation of a tangible on-going operation – a living, breathing, caring effort – that can likewise live on for generations.
 
This project so well embodies my definition of legacy beyond the typical estate planning view of who-gets-what-property-when-I-die; rather, it's "the conscious contributi­on of your authentic gifts, talents and resources that adds value in a lasting way." And that conscious contribution is very much about living fully – true success and full self-actualization by active involvement in building something that makes a positive difference and leaves the world just a little bit better than the way you found it. Or in some cases, like Lombardo's, a LOT better.
 
I especially love legacy stories arising from the Millenial Generation. These 'echo-boom­ers' often embody the idealism of their boomer era parents. They are undaunted and unstopped by financial concerns – perhaps because they are coming of age in a time of financial crisis (what money? what social security?) and the daunting issues of terrorism, numerous long-standing wars, climate change and environmental degredation. These Millenial legacy leaders can't be bothered to let those things stop them. Instead, they look for what's truly wanted and needed, and find a way to do something about it. In so doing, they find their own heartfelt callings – and answer the call.
 
They are living from the heart – and that is a form of capital stronger than any other. They will lead us all on to measure the true values in life, the tangible and countable, as well as the intangible and truly precious.  And witnessing that does my heart a lot of good.
 
Blessings to all on the 10th anniversary of 09/11/01.

Filed Under: Blog, Enlightened Leadership, Legacy Stories, Personal Legacy, Positive Thoughts & Inspired Ideas, Women and Girls Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Neuroscience Sheds New Light on Women’s Leadership Skills

May 14, 2010 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

Okay ladies, when you’re stressed, rather than fight or flee would you prefer to throw a potluck?  There’s good reason for that – and it’s a good thing!  It’s a hardwired feminine trait, genetically speaking. 

Melissa Kaplan’s lovely posting on Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases sheds some light on how we’re different (we knew that) and why it’s important that we band together:

“Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women.”

Those connections may just be how we can make a bigger impact in changing the world for the better.  So what to do?  Here are some thoughts:

  • Make time to spend with your women friends.  Yes, work, children and significant others, the garden, the dishes, the laundry … are important.  But they can usually wait.  Put your oxygen mask on first so you have the bandwidth to tend to them – or better yet, give them your best.  Your women friends are your oxygen mask.
  • Collaborate on projects with women colleagues.  It may still be a man’s world in many arenas, but it’s how we work best.  Working together is not cheating, like it was considered when taking tests in school.  This is the real world and cooperative skills are important.  Synergy cannot occur without combination.
  • Support and promote one another.  Help a woman colleague working toward a promotion, running for office, needing backup so she can get a project finished.  Ask that she help you with something – odds are at least 50-50 that she will, probably greater. (Chances she will if you don’t ask hover around zero – she’s busy, too, and how would she know?)  Then you’ll both feel better and be further along.

The Huffington Post indicates that some women are not only approaching, but surpassing men’s salaries in the big corporate world, according to research from Bloomberg News compiled from proxy reports.  That’s a great start, And I’m personally glad there are women willing to compete hard to win the seats historically held by men.  They certainly are capable … and braver and more persistent than I am.  But many, many more of us are out there in the trenches, or in our own businesses, and we’d all do better and feel better if we got more support … and had more potluck dinners. 

A rising tide raises all boats, as they say.  And as our boats collectively float upward on that tide, we can do more good in the world … leaving even more significant legacies.

What ideas do you have about how you can help a sister, and maybe even the planet and in turn the progeny we’ll never meet?  Would love your comments here!

Filed Under: Blog, Enlightened Leadership, Positive Thoughts & Inspired Ideas Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Increasing The Power of Feminine Energy on the Planet

May 1, 2010 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

There is an amazing legacy project that starts today and runs for the next week – that you can access from the comfort of your home.  It’s called the Inspiring Women Summit.

The Summit is directed toward women for sure – as the primary demonstrators of feminine energies on the planet - in an effort to support them in greater use of the power of the feminine viewpoint and approach in the world.  And we here at Creating Legacy support that, because we want to see the power of the feminine viewpoint get stronger in terms of the way the world works.  Cultivating and nurturing a culture of contribution – living a legacy approach to life – certainly embodies that. 

However, while the word feminine – just check the dictionary – is most often defined with sex and gender characteristics, feminine and masculine (for that matter) are gender neutral terms.  Each of us possesses both feminine and masculine traits.  A great comparison of those qualities is available here (you may have to adjust the items under the proper columns depending on how it shows up on your computer, but you can download the Google version into Word). 

It is really how culture and sex role stereotypes have influenced you that will determine how comfortable you will be with expressing the feminine or masculine qualities you have access to.  And the context you are operating in will also be an influence – or a challenge to rise above and choose to use a different tool than the expected.

When I was training to be and practicing as a Registered Nurse, most nurses were female.  Not all.  But despite the highly scientific and technical aspects of the nursing profession, the fact that it was founded on caring put it squarely in the feminine domain and thus only a few strong guys were attracted to it.  That is not so true anymore.

Unlike my female predecessors and pioneers in the law, who may have been one of 5-10% of women in their law school classes, when I went through law school, my class was about 30% female.  Today, in both medicine and law – both previously the provinces of men – women make up about 50% of the graduating classes.  The focus on reading, research, writing, oratory and advocacy skills that make up legal education are clearly “something girls can do” … well, and thus do well in practice, too.  But historically, culturally, lawyers were men – not because women were not capable.  Even the skill sets of the law might be considered feminine in nature when compared with the hard physical labor of construction or combat jobs …

I’ve had two previous careers that gave me a lot of opportunity to consider the difference between a feminine and masculine approach to the subject matter and related tasks of the work.  I’ve seen males take a feminine approach to aspects of the work, and I’ve certainly seen (especially in law practice) females do their best to take on a masculine approach to the work – often thinking that is what they had to do to ‘compete’ in the workplace or the courtroom.

Well, it’s not true.  Either gender can use, hopefully the best of, the feminine or masculine energies in approach to their work.  What’s great about the Inspiring Women Summit is that we’ll get a chance to explore more of the feminine approach - as well as how women can emerge as stronger leaders in the world.  In my view, it’s certainly time in history for a greater emphasis on the feminine, from everyone.  And no, I’m not trying to be emasculating as some in the culture might suggest.  I’ll be the first to take on and use masculine energies when I need to.  It’s just that I know the difference … have a more varied toolbox perhaps than folks who insist on sticking with rigid sex role stereotypes. 

I have my parents to thank for this.  They taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do based on merit, not on gender.

I wonder how clear these distinctions are for the generation of women who follow mine.  At the baby end of the baby boom and the leading edge of Generation X, I know the struggles of my predecessor women professionals and business owners - the trail blazers – that allowed me to be more of a pioneer with my work, discovering, designing, and building new approaches as opposed to just getting a foothold.  How do the women who come after view their power (‘ability to do’) to take on the important work they have in life and then make amazing contributions they have to make?  And their role – if not trail blazer or pioneer, how do we best characterize what they are up to?

Would love to hear your thoughts on that.  Cheers, Dolly

Filed Under: Blog, Coaching, Enlightened Leadership, Legacy Stories, Life Balance/Harmony Among Life Arenas Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elegant Endurance

April 27, 2010 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

So far we’ve talked about a legacy project starting with an idea and as it takes on mass, it grows. Included in that growth is a definition of the roles and processes it takes to become a reality so the project can unfold smoothly, deliver its benefits and then others can carry it on without your direct involvement. In that way …

Great Legacies Are Enduring. The project takes shape and each aspect of it is developed with an identifiable and replicable method – a system that others can learn, teach to many others and have any important course corrections along the way. Your legacy begins to take on a life of its own.

Part of the process is to build a network around you.  Others who are moved by your project want to be involved, ususally in a very collaborative way too. From there, it can develop exponentially. The money needed to build it appears, either because you can contribute it or because funding is available from others – or both. Professional services needed to expand the project are identified (and may even be contributed).

The other people who show up to help operate it and carry it on will also allow you to let go. You can step away, knowing it will continue as designed, to accomplish its defined mission and create a benefit for the intended recipients that can last for many future generations. 

Templates, and tons of existing resources, exist to help you create your legacy. Starting with only your passion, your good and beneficial idea can be developed using time-tested structures and methods that allow you to get it started, involve others in a systematic way, stay involved as long as you like and then step aside to allow it to continue to make a positive enduring difference in the world.

Add the following to your Legacy Notebook under “Element 12 – Enduring”:

  • Is there a template out there – another individual and/or their existing organization or business operation – that is doing the sort of thing you’d like your project to do?
  • Or is there someone else or an organization that’s doing something completely different, but whose process could be applied to get the sort of results you’d like to bring about?
  • Write down the ones that come to mind, and as you notice more, jot them down here, too.

Here’s to your best life…
Cheers!

Dolly and Eliza

Filed Under: Blog, Designing Your Legacy, Enlightened Leadership, Personal Legacy, Purpose Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Legacy-Level Holiday Gift-Giving Ideas

December 17, 2009 By Dolly Garlo 1 Comment

This holiday season, remember the 4 R’s: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and Rot. Not words you think of when it comes to the holidays? You can easily begin to incorporate these terms of environmental conservation into your gift-giving plans.

What do the 4 R’s really mean? Many people understand them to be equal alternatives, when really they form a hierarchy. The best first step is to Reduce the amount of material consumed, and therefore the energy used and waste produced in making it. Next in line is to Re-use goods and material that no longer serve their original purpose, but can serve another one with minimal process until their useful is exhausted. This is the one that is probably the least used or most mis-used in what has become a worldwide throwaway society. How many one-use items will you throw away today alone (think coffee cups, other beverage and food containers plastic bags)? Recycling is only third in line — its benefit only kicks in when it’s not possible to avoid consuming new materials to begin with or to re-use them. And while a great thing to do, recycling requires use of additional resources for transportation to processing facilities and for the recycling process itself. Think: “an ounce of prevention vs. a pound of cure.” Finally, Rotting (composting organic materials) is always available but is primarily an activity of the agrarian age gone-by that too few of us utilize. It happens naturally in landfills and our water supply, with little benefit and the need to expend energy to clean or reclaim those resources after compostable items are discarded or washed down a drain. That valuable organic matter could instead be going back into the soil to enrich it.

So, how can you make a difference in this arena, especially during the holidays? Here are some suggestions:

Reduce by just limiting the amount of stuff — plain old consumer goods and consumables — you purchase and interact with this holiday season. Your savings account and waistline will thank you. And you will reduce the amount of packaging and overall energy expenditures involved (including your own personal life energy). Let simplicity be the watchword — meaningful quality rather than quantity in gift-giving. The Story of Stuff also sheds some important light on issues of over-consumption and the true cost of things you may otherwise consider a bargain. When you think you’re getting a deal and can therefore buy more — think again about the hidden costs … and buy less.

There are many ways to Re-use other than to save wrapping paper and make last year’s paper greeting cards into gift tags (although those are good ideas, too). Gifts don’t have to be shiny and brand new to be significant and meaningful. They can be hand-crafted, one of a kind wonders (a different way to say homemade, but heck, what’s wrong with homemade?) Some examples are shown below.

Hopefully, you are already utilizing the environmental conservation practice of Recycling. Of course it’s hardly a new concept. Prior to synthetics, mass production, and particularly the end of WWII, conservation and recycling were the way we lived. Goods made from nylon, real rubber and many metals were rationed and reused. The environmental movement of the 1960s and 70s brought the practice back into “fashion” after the “throwaway society” heralded by Life Magazine in 1955 —. The invention of disposables was a way to free up the modern housewife (and baby, just look how encumbered we’ve become!) Fortunately, Earth Day and the movement that followed created a whole new (old) way to look at what it means to waste, and what we consider trash (which, as they say, is often someone else’s treasure). So when you shop for that holiday party, take your own cloth shopping bags, buy beverages in glass and aluminum containers that can be re-fashioned into new items, and consider using recyclable corn cups and bamboo plates for informal gatherings. The latter can go into your compost.

Which brings us to Rot. Don’t forget being generous to your compost bin or pile. You can easily create the gift some beautiful rich fertilized soil for your plants and garden beds when discarding anything organic — from the morning’s coffee grounds and eggshells to all your veggie and fruit trimmings and peelings. Bigger gatherings, more food = more of this precious organic matter that may go to waste without a consciousness of how valuable it is. Learning how to compost is easy. Even winter and snow don’t need to stop you. Think of it as your gift to the planet and future generations on a very basic level … because it is.

The 4 R’s are a back to the future, or maybe forward into the past (?!) concept at its best!

Here are some other specific gift ideas that can keep you in the holiday spirit in a down economy, as well as, add to your environmentally friendly practices:

Spa1. Give Services instead of Goods. You can give a gift certificate for salon or spa services, a car wash, a gardening service (like tree-planting or mulching the planting beds around the house), or organic cooking lessons. You can also give the gift of your own time, energy and expertise. Giving someone a book of coupons representing anything from computer training to your help doing household chores can be a very meaningful … and useful gift.

2. Give the Gift of An Adventure or Event. This is my personal favorite. At this point in my Honeymoon 1life, I’ve got enough stuff. But sharing time and experiences with people I care about means a lot to me. A card redeemable for lunch with a friend is worth a lot. My husband and I create trips and adventures (from local to international) to share with one another — which also supports the economies of the places we visit.

Honeymoon 2Here are a couple of photos from our recent honeymoon / “staycation” in our hometown of Key West. We had great fun being hometown tourists. Yes, we’ve chosen to live in this paradise at the end of a long road (which has its trade-offs folks), but I’m guessing your hometown paradise has great things to recommend it, too. Re-watch the Wizard of Oz if you need more of a reminder.

Gift certificates in the form of tickets to the movies, a concert or a local playhouse can be great fun especially if you get to be one of the ticket holders. This is also true for local attractions — to play golf (or mini-golf), enjoy a water park or spend the day at a botanical garden or museum. Memberships in local nonprofit organizations — producing the gift of involvement — are also an option.

Gold Watch3. The Gift of Personal Treasures. You may have family heirlooms, antiques, collectibles, artwork or jewelry that someone else would treasure, too — especially since it once belonged to you. This is true also of crystal, wood carvings, geodes or similar pieces of nature as art. They contain part of your story and lots of sentimental value, two things you can’t buy anyway.

Baked Goods4. Special or Healthy Edibles. This is when “homemade,” or hand-crafted with heart, is something especially good. Pies, cakes and cookies, barbecue or hot sauce (perhaps complete with the old family recipe) or even fresh or dried herbs from your garden are easy on the environment and convey your heartfelt wishes through the effort you put into exercising your culinary skills. Making up a few batches as gifts probably won’t take more time than trudging to and through the shopping mall, and it will be time more pleasantly spent by you, especially if the weather outside is frightful. And you never know what the effort might produce – see our Legacy Story this issue.

5. Gifts of Social Good – another of my favorites. I decided a couple years ago to make gifts in the names of family, clients and friends, that make a contribution in the world. Farm girl that I am, one of my favorites is Heifer International, an organization that provides needy individuals and families with the gift of sustainability by providing them with numerous farm animals that can then be used to produce commodities like dairy products, wool, honey, etc. — not to mention offspring, which the beneficiary agrees to pass along to another member of the community in effect “sharing the wealth.” Some of the other organizations we support are:

  • www.GENI.org — an organization focused on linking renewable energy resources around the world using international electricity transmission in attempt to answer the question: “How do we make the world work for 100‰ of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?”
  • www.FINCA.org — which provides micro loans that give poor women the opportunity to work their way out of poverty; and
  • www.WomenForWomen.org — which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. (This one is particularly special to me since my own mother was a survivor of WWII who came to the United States to rebuild her life and work).

Each one is an amazing legacy story of its own, and we’ll tell them here by and by. For this holiday season consider making a donation to one of them, or any other organization that moves your heart, in the name of someone you care about. You’ll be making an important difference at the same time.

Filed Under: Blog, Positive Thoughts & Inspired Ideas Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Women Business Owners Positioned To Make A Better World

October 22, 2009 By Dolly Garlo 2 Comments

Legacy development expert offers free tips in honor of Make A Difference Day

RENO, NV – Women professionals and business owners are putting their unique mark on the world by creating positive changes not only in business but also in their communities. There are more women who have created successful enterprises and built significant wealth than ever before. Many of these successful women are also making significant positive changes in their communities and the world at large by creating lasting legacies- in keeping with the purpose of Make A Difference Day on October 24.

“These incredible women leaders – who often don’t see themselves that way – have enjoyed rewarding careers, built their own businesses and experienced tremendous success, and are now looking for ways to give back to their communities in a long-term, sustainable way,” says Dolly Garlo, RN, JD, PCC who advises successful mid-career women who are considering just that, and what’s next beyond their careers. “I receive numerous calls and emails from women with amazing backgrounds, knowledge and skills who want to contribute in a more authentic and significant way, but aren’t sure where to start.”

The annual Make A Difference Day holiday is the largest national day of helping others in the United States.  Founded by USA WEEKEND Magazine in partnership with HandsOn Network 19 years ago, it is also supported by Newman’s Own, the late, great Paul Newman’s social enterprise – which is now run by his daughter, Nell Newman.  In honor of this year’s events, Garlo offers the following tips to help leaders interested in creating a bigger positive impact.

§  Demonstrate your values and interests by contributing your time and skills.  Women business owners have a huge depth of knowledge and professional skills that public benefit organizations need.  Serve on a board or advisory committee to learn more about how public benefit agencies work and help them implement effective, efficient and profitable strategies.  The benefit gained by these agencies and the individuals and community it serves are a part of your personal legacy.

§  Inventory your skills, assets and wealth today. There are three types of legacies: financial only, participation only or a mixture of the two.  Which will yours be?  Take stock today of what you want to accomplish and what you will need to build your legacy.

§  Think big, start small. Many great beneficial causes have started with little money and by very young people.  Start thinking today what steps you can take and what things you can put into place to create your legacy.  Make a plan. Talk to like minded people. Research what it will take to bring your legacy to life.  Such legacy projects are born out of passion and quickly take a life of their own.

§  Planning for the future starts today! Most people think of legacies as an end of life activity!  In fact, more and more individuals are creating lasting legacies while they are still young enough to see them grow and deliver their good work in the world.  It can be an authentic expression of genuine interests, skills you enjoy using, involving and benefitting others from a community you care about, and they are built from inception knowing you’ll step away and allow others to continue.

§  Be inclusive and involve many.  To make a very significant impact on your community, it takes a lot of cooperation and support.  Share your passion.  Invite others to support your vision and goals.  It is a great way to teach another generation about business, wealth and contribution while building your legacy and making a lasting difference in the world.

Garlo is founder of Thrive!! Inc. and a program called Creating Legacy (www.CreatingLegacy.com).  A former critical care nurse and health care attorney turned professionally trained coach, she assists small business owners and professionals with business and strategic marketing development, succession and exit-planning, and life design post-career including legacy development. Garlo brings more than 30 years of professional, writing, speaking and facilitation services – and her own legacy creating experience, establishing the Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve (http://www.senecacounty.com/parks/Garlo.htm) – to bear in helping clients make a difference now that lasts for generations. For more information also visit www.CreatingLegacyNetwork.com.

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contact:

Dolly M. Garlo, RN, JD, PCC
President, Thrive!! Inc.
Email
Mobile: 305-849-8495

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The Future Needs More Women Leaders

October 1, 2009 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

Strength, vision, foresight and care – for people and the planet.  Here’s great evidence of a woman’s leadership taking us into a future in better harmony with our natural ecosystem: http://article-url.com/MIgreen 

Go Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan.

Filed Under: Blog, Enlightened Leadership Tagged With: ,

Powerful Women

September 15, 2009 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

I got this email today, twice before I responded to it.  It was one of those chain things that asks you to pass it on.  And usually I don’t (especially when they have some superstitious warning in them!!)  But I liked this one.  It said:
——————————
I am supposed to pick 12 women who have touched my life and whom I think would want to participate. I think that if this group of women were ever to be in a room together, there is nothing that would be impossible. I hope I chose the right twelve.  My hugs, love, gestures and communications hopefully remind you how special you are.
Please send this back to me. Remember to make a wish before you read the quotation. That’s all you have to do. There is nothing attached.
Just send this to twelve women and let me know what happens on the fourth day. Sorry, did you make a wish yet? If you don’t make a wish, it won’t come true.
This is your last chance to make a wish!…
“May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts  that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”
Now, send this to 12 women within the next 15 minutes. And remember to send this back. I count as one… you’ll see why.  Suggestion: copy and paste rather than forwarding it.
————————————————————————-

But I had to include this note:

This found its way into my email today, coming in from somewhere else as these email things do. Generally I don’t participate in them, but I liked this one.  So my apologies to anyone who dislikes this sort of email; I’m truly not sure if you’d want to participate or not.  

I just liked the idea of including you and telling you so, because if I ever needed to do the impossible and had to assemble a group of women to make it happen, I would definitely get you in the room. And I’d include my mother, but she’s not on email.

So here it is, do with it what you will if anything other than read it.  As for the ‘you’ll see why,’ I’m thinking we may or may not see why, but just knowing you’re thought about as special and powerful may well be enough. I enjoyed recognizing my connection to you in this way.  If you receive duplicates, I guess that shows just how special and powerful you really are.  On that score, I’m glad it made its way to me at least once! 

And truth is, I sent it to more than 12 women.  On that score, it made me realize how many incredible, powerful, capable, strong, trustworthy and loving women I know.  I’m glad of that – and of their presence in the world doing great things.  I see the “legacy power” in what they each are able to change for the better in their own spheres of influence. That makes me glad.

It also spurs me into action on my quest to help more of them exercise more of that power in greater ways, for the benefit of an improved planet.  Call me a dreamer, but I think if we all dreamed a little bit bigger for better and better outcomes, rather than status quo, maintaining vested interests, and keeping things as they are (okay, I know that’s a bit redundant, but it seems to be a pattern humans persist in) we really could improve a lot of things.  And I see the positive thinking, nurturing and collaborating power of women leaders — of all feminine thinking (no matter who’s doing it) — as a most important way in which such results will come into being.

So hear this: women leaders and those embracing the power of the feminine – it is your time to shine, to rise up, to make your voices heard, to get on with being more visible and building more projects in this world!!  You are powerful beyond measure, especially when you get together and create some synergy toward a goal.  And we know how to get together – another strength in the feminine – generally with really good food to fortify us for the road ahead.

Filed Under: Blog, Enlightened Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Leadership As A Gender Issue?

August 5, 2009 By Dolly Garlo Leave a Comment

CNN’s Jack Cafferty took to the television airwaves with a controversial question disguised as news.  It recounted his blog post called “Do women make better bosses?”  While not necessarily news, the article makes some interesting points about leadership.  While discussing “bosses,” it incorporated comments about effective leadership traits such as:

Being a good adviser, mentor and rational thinker,
Being collaborative and democratic,
Being more encouraging and less bossy,
Being direct – communicating with “straight talk,”
Taking risks,
Exercising autonomy and independence,

And eliminating behaviors that employees dislike, described as loving to hear yourself talk, engaging in sports talk before getting down to business, giving harsh or evasive feedback, belittling, or needing to prove your own superiority.

I thought it interesting that these points (reinforced by quite a number of blog comments) are really gender neutral.  They, and many others, are behaviors that both women and men can engage in that better support people to do their work.  They are traits of the enlightened leader – the person, male or female, who can truly guide people to do their best and be productive in a positive atmosphere. That sort of leadership makes both working in and doing business with such enterprises smooth and easy rather than complicated and uncomfortable, the former profitable and the latter expensive. 

The article identified warmth and sensitivity to what others needed as “feminine traits” that research (authority not cited) allegedly showed was exhibited less by good managers than more masculine traits.  But that didn’t say anything about whether women or men were better leaders.  As enlightened leaders know, feminine and masculine traits can be exhibited in their own way by either gender.

And research or not, when did being warm, caring, approachable or sensitive to what people need in the workplace become detrimental to getting the job done?  Maybe those “good managers” would do well to develop such leadership characteristics, and become even better managers.

What do you think?

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