On October 12, 2020, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Women Leaders X convention virtually. The Women Leaders X convention’s mission was to uplift and inspire women globally. The keynote speakers during the two day event included Brené Brown, professor, author, lecturer, and podcast host; Robin Roberts, anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America; Carla Harris, Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley; and Coach Muffet McGraw, former head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame.
Brené Brown in particular is such an inspiration to women everywhere and quite frankly will tell you how it is. Brené’s message was all about being a daring and courageous leader and how to be successful during these hard times.
Brené Brown had a lot of great advice to share. One piece that stuck out a lot to me was the importance of resetting after a failure and/or disappointment. You want to learn as much as you can from every experience you have. You must learn “how to bounce” and the minute you learn from a failure, it no longer is a failure. Brené pointed out that “everybody is winging it.” No one person has all the answers. Everyone we encounter in life is just faking it until they make it. So, we shouldn’t sweat things as much and it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Brené also talked about her experience with working with many CEOs and gave advice to how we can become more successful as a leader. The key traits for a successful leader are self awareness, mastery, and grounded confidence. A good leader needs to have a capacity for vulnerability, curiosity, and the willingness to practice new skills.
For more information on how to be an effective leader, check out Brené Brown’s new podcast series, “Daring to Lead.”
A good communicator should also have these skills and qualities of a good leader. Being vulnerable with someone is a great way to build meaningful connections with others. It’s important not to overshare right away, but people are more likely to listen to your message if they can relate to you and see you as a person, not just face value. If you exhibit confidence in your message others are more likely to believe you. A good communicator should also have a willingness to practice their skills. If you’re not comfortable with speaking to a crowd, this is something you should and need to practice to be an effective speaker. If your writing is not up to par or maybe you suck at grammar, you can take a class to improve your skills. Easy learning does not build strong skills. You have to be willing to challenge yourself to be successful.
It’s important to motivate and inspire yourself to be an effective leader and communicator. Mel Robbins and her 5 second rule is a great example of how to stop making excuses and just take immediate action. Countdown from 5 and get busy. Check out her webpage and twitter for more information and motivation to change your life for the better.
Dare to be vulnerable and make mistakes. Challenge yourself everyday to be courageous and do something that slightly scares you. Talk to the new guy at the office or the person sitting next to you in class. You never know what kind of connections you can be making. Courage is uncomfortable, but you need discomfort for growth. Challenge yourself to learn something new everyday. The world is full of new and exciting information, so fuel yourself with it.
Dare to be bold. Dare to lead.
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