Stiletto Volume 1 Issue 1 | Page 6

Stilettos -N- Career Belly Laugh There were two rabbinical students walking down the beach along the Mediterranean Ocean. They spotted an ancient libation vessel in the sand. They dug it out and as they were rubbing the sand off of it all of a sudden a genie came out of the bottle and said, “I would grant each of you one wish, whatever you want.” So the first student said “I want to be the wisest, most intelligent man that has ever lived” and the genie said ok and turning to the other student asks him “now what do you want?” The second one says; “I want to be even wiser and smarter than he is.” Then the genie says, “Let me see if I got this right, you (pointing to the first one) want to be the most wisest, and most intelligent person who has ever lived. Then the genie pointed to the second one and said “and you want to a woman?” Page 6 Lead Like a Lady! For decades it seemed like women in business not only worked to break through the glass ceiling, they focused on becoming members of the boy’s club. From mimicking how men think to how they communicate and even dress, we tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to tap into our masculine side and fight our way to our place at the table. Thankfully, times have changed and women have realized that we think and communicate differently from our male counterparts. That’s okay. That means we lead differently too. This isn’t a battle of the sexes; women aren’t better leaders, just different leaders. And because our natural skill-set is increasingly valued in the global economy, that means we’re perfectly positioned to become leaders. As women, we’ve got the raw materials we need to become successful leaders. We just need to shift our attitudes and put our talents to work. As the world grows more complex and connected there is a growing need for feminine skills like relational intelligence, emotional intelligence, inclusion, and empathy. By employing these skills, we are redefining power and the meaning of leadership. Power doesn’t mean “command and control leadership.” In fact, women wield our own style of power, and it packs quite a punch. Often, just shifting the way we think about power can make women feel more comfortable with taking the lead. My Leading Women co-author Gloria Feldt explains that instead of seeking “power over,” women are more comfortable seeking “power to.” Feminine power is the ability to accomplish our goals, provide for our families, and make the world a better place – while helping others do the same. Power isn’t a finite resource, the more we use, the more there is. Traditionally, the image of a “strong” leader is a man who is self sufficient and capable. He’s the prototypical rugged individualist and w w w . swww.magazinename.com tilettostrength.com