“You can’t just decide to have a movement. You have to have a voice, speak that voice and hope that people come on the journey with you. …Leading is willing to be vulnerable, honest and hopefully that encourages a conversation about something you find important,” Brooke Shields, Author, Actor, CEO and Activist.
Last week, I attended the Simmons Women’s Leadership conference for the first time. There were incredible speakers, sharing the plot twists many women face on their path into leadership roles. This included everything from honoring family-first values with a demanding schedule, to the imperfection of orchestrating hundreds of daily details and finding mentors, sponsors, funders, or supporters.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the sessions I attended that highlight wisdom from incredible moms at the top of their fields who navigate leadership in different settings, industries and through historic levels of environmental uncertainty.
Whatever leadership means to you, whether it’s in your children’s schools, neighborhood, nonprofit board, start-up or multinational corporation, there are gems we can all learn from.
Focus on What you Can Control
“Dream, focus, pray, act…”
Cynt Marshall, Author, Consultant and former CEO of the Dallas Mavericks
“You have to keep advocating for yourself to yourself.”
Brooke Shields, Author, Actor, CEO and Activist.
Show Up Strong
“When I go into a meeting, I make sure I’m prepared to lead and shape the conversation and not be passive in any way.”
Dr. Laura Wood, Boston Children’s Hospital’s Exec VP, Patient Care Operations
“I quickly learned being humble is great, never forget that and always be respectful but do not be the person who does not speak up.”
Dr. Maha Radhakrishnan, Executive Partner, Sofinnova investments
“I spend time working to prepare myself in addition to how I want to prepare my data and recommendations for leadership meetings.”
Dr. Angela Patterson, Chief Nursing Officer, CVS Health
“Send a memo in advance of the meeting about what you’re going to talk about, why and then have a short presentation of no more than three slides with three or four bullets per slide. Otherwise, people will try to read your slides instead of listening to you.” Dr. Maha Radhakrishnan, Executive Partner, Sofinnova investments
Connect and Represent
“As a nurse, I needed to take it from the bedside to the boardroom so, I didn’t leave meetings without bringing the voice of the patients or nurses to the table.”
Dr. Angela Patterson, Chief Nursing Officer, CVS Health
“My three ‘L’s of leadership are: listen to the people, learn from the people and love the people, because it’s all about the people.”
Cynt Marshall, Author, Consultant and former CEO of the Dallas Mavericks
“Leadership is not a solo journey so, do the work to create high performance teams, lead them and contribute to them.”
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Author and President of Simmons University
Lead Like a Mother
“Being gentle begins within us because to be human is to make mistakes. We’re going to do it I guarantee you. I tell my team; something is going to happen today that we didn’t plan for but we’ve got to go back to being our best selves.”
Susan MacKenty Brady, Author and CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
“My mom wanted me to be comfortable being celebrated.”
Brooke Shields, Author, Actor, CEO and Activist.
Inspire and Motivate
“If you’re going to deal with hope you have to constantly have a vision. As leaders we must help people overcome their natural resistance to change.”
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Author and President of Simmons University
“Know, that change fatigue is real.”
Dr. Heather Schlosser, Dean, School of Nursing, Simmons University
“Leadership demands the courage to listen to and invite all perspectives.”
Dr. Sheila Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Partners in Health
“Provide strengths-based feedback to your team and ask them what they believe they need to be more impactful. It helps strengthen the relationship.”
Dr. Maha Radhakrishnan, Executive Partner, Sofinnova investments
Define and Measure Your Impact
“Organizations need to measure the psychological and physical well-being of employees; it’s table stakes for today’s workforce. It needs to be part of leadership success measures including performance assessments, compensation and recognition.”
Dr. Angela Patterson, Chief Nursing Officer, CVS Health
“Ask yourself as a leader, am I showing the future I want to create? Am I painting the big picture?”
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Author and President of Simmons University
“At Simmons, we define our ‘best self’ as where our strengths and talents meet where we’re called to add value to others and where we receive and experience joy and vitality. When these three things come together, I think that’s where we have moments of thriving.”
Susan MacKenty Brady, Author and CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
“We know from research that thriving at work means feeling valued, being engaged and being empowered. And when organizations invest in thriving, great things happen.”
Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Author and President of Simmons University
Many thanks to the fabulous team at Simmons University for an uplifting day of learning, growth and encouragement. Wishing everyone a happy International Women’s Month!
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