Women Speak and Lead! Manifesto
We learn by doing. All efforts are worthwhile.
Consistency over Intensity
Time to Rise
- Confidence and speaking skills can only improve by practicing them in person with other people. Reading books and listening to videos is not enough. Practice, practice practice! Do, do, do!
- We learn just as much from mistakes as we do successes. Failure is part of the learning. Perfectionism can stop us us from trying new things.
Consistency over Intensity
- Improving speaking, confidence and leadership skills is an incremental, not overnight, process. It is much like improving our health. Workout after workout, our fitness improves.
- One weekend workshop on leadership will not effectively teach us how to be a leader. It takes daily practice, reflection and feedback. You can't put in one 9-hour day at the gym and expect your health status or body to change.
Time to Rise
- The world needs to hear from women. We all have things to share and contribute. We may have learned to lay low and stay quiet and that our work will speak for itself, however this is not the case. Multiple studies confirm that women don't advocate for themselves, which blocks their advancement. Even if they are highly competent, they are found to remain individual contributors with low visibility instead of moving into leadership in organizations.
- Since 2002 the number of women leadership positions has been falling and it was pretty small to begin. It is important we trail blaze new paths into leadership. This era is one of rapid change and we must be nimble to play an important part in it. We cannot sit on the sidelines and wait to see where the future takes us. We have to create a future we want to live in.