Women"s Leadership - Professional Development Or Personal Development
I've received a number calls over the past few weeks asking: ''where does professional development end and personal development begin?" These queries came from women interested in attending an upcoming Learning Journey to Ireland.
Before these successful women could commit to something which, in their hearts, they understand is right for them, each rang or wrote to me seeking assurance that spending time and treasure to address foundational issues of identity development can be justified as professional development.
''Leanne," they asked, ''isn't this just self indulgence?" We tend to mis-take personal development as being selfish or indulgent and professional development as being about helping or doing for others.
I believe it's time we realize that this is just not the case.
It's time to understand that all professional talent development is personal and vice versa - especially women's talent development.
As individuals and change agents we need to realize that women are relational by nature.
Women care about others.
We seek consensus.
We want people to have a voice.
We readily shift tasks.
We adroitly read situations.
These are all powerful and positive attributes that make us good leaders, team builders, mothers, caretakers, community members.
Simply put, understanding and acknowledging that these attributes are key to our personal identities allows us to better employ them in professional settings.
Yet these issues and concerns are areas that women's professional development rarely address.
Research indicates-from Mckinsey to Tricia Naddaff, from Sally Helgesen and Marta Williams to Herminia Ibarra-women's development needs are fundamentally different from those of men.
A report just released from Catalyst reveals that in 2008 the overall representation of women corporate officers and top earners continues to stagnate.
* A primary reason for this continued lack of progress is that traditional models for executive women's talent and leadership development are deficient.
These models have yet to take into account the relational nature of women.
They don't do enough to help women realize and come to trust their own capabilities.
They don't focus specifically on identity development.
Unfortunately, even with all our successes, we are often unsure of ourselves, lack confidence in our capabilities, and disbelieve the powerful influence and affect we have on those around us.
Ultimately, we end up questioning our value, our worth, our talents, and, finally, our very identity.
By nature and necessity, women's leadership and talent development is personal development, identity development.
And there should be no confusion: personal development supplies immediate workplace returns.
Women become noticeably better leaders, contributors, mentors, and coaches when they feel their lives are grounded and rich with meaning, when they gain confidence in who they are and what they offer.
It's important for anyone involved in organizational change to understand that women's leadership and talent development is inherently a process of developing self.
I believe this message is both timely and urgent.
Now is the time to pay attention to our development.
Ilene H.
Lang, president & chief executive officer of Catalyst, places this in context in terms of their recent findings: ''No change in a year of change is unacceptable-for business, for investors, for policy makers, and for the public which looks to business leadership for innovative solutions and accountability.
" As women, we must understand and come to terms with the fact that focusing on our identity development might just be our best chance for professional development and, in the end, what leads to meaningful organizational change.
Now is the time.
Before these successful women could commit to something which, in their hearts, they understand is right for them, each rang or wrote to me seeking assurance that spending time and treasure to address foundational issues of identity development can be justified as professional development.
''Leanne," they asked, ''isn't this just self indulgence?" We tend to mis-take personal development as being selfish or indulgent and professional development as being about helping or doing for others.
I believe it's time we realize that this is just not the case.
It's time to understand that all professional talent development is personal and vice versa - especially women's talent development.
As individuals and change agents we need to realize that women are relational by nature.
Women care about others.
We seek consensus.
We want people to have a voice.
We readily shift tasks.
We adroitly read situations.
These are all powerful and positive attributes that make us good leaders, team builders, mothers, caretakers, community members.
Simply put, understanding and acknowledging that these attributes are key to our personal identities allows us to better employ them in professional settings.
Yet these issues and concerns are areas that women's professional development rarely address.
Research indicates-from Mckinsey to Tricia Naddaff, from Sally Helgesen and Marta Williams to Herminia Ibarra-women's development needs are fundamentally different from those of men.
A report just released from Catalyst reveals that in 2008 the overall representation of women corporate officers and top earners continues to stagnate.
* A primary reason for this continued lack of progress is that traditional models for executive women's talent and leadership development are deficient.
These models have yet to take into account the relational nature of women.
They don't do enough to help women realize and come to trust their own capabilities.
They don't focus specifically on identity development.
Unfortunately, even with all our successes, we are often unsure of ourselves, lack confidence in our capabilities, and disbelieve the powerful influence and affect we have on those around us.
Ultimately, we end up questioning our value, our worth, our talents, and, finally, our very identity.
By nature and necessity, women's leadership and talent development is personal development, identity development.
And there should be no confusion: personal development supplies immediate workplace returns.
Women become noticeably better leaders, contributors, mentors, and coaches when they feel their lives are grounded and rich with meaning, when they gain confidence in who they are and what they offer.
It's important for anyone involved in organizational change to understand that women's leadership and talent development is inherently a process of developing self.
I believe this message is both timely and urgent.
Now is the time to pay attention to our development.
Ilene H.
Lang, president & chief executive officer of Catalyst, places this in context in terms of their recent findings: ''No change in a year of change is unacceptable-for business, for investors, for policy makers, and for the public which looks to business leadership for innovative solutions and accountability.
" As women, we must understand and come to terms with the fact that focusing on our identity development might just be our best chance for professional development and, in the end, what leads to meaningful organizational change.
Now is the time.