6 Tips for Development From the Most Successful Women in the World


On March 8 every year, International Women's Day is celebrated . Women have come a long way in their struggle for equality, but there is still a long distance to cover.

For 2017, the theme for Women's Day is 'Be Bold For Change’

It’s a call to encourage women to be strong and powerful in all areas of their life. Today we have been looking at some of the most successful women in leadership to share six easy tips anyone can do in their career to develop without the need for policy.

Meet people in all areas of the business

When you work in senior positions, your day can be spent focusing on high-level decisions, strategy or meetings and you can lose touch with the day to day customer facing aspects. Take the time to chat to your contact centre, customer support team or people on the ground to check in with their issues and priorities - see how they align with yours.

Practice your mentorship skills

An effective way to grow your leadership skills may be becoming a mentor yourself. Consider your skills and where you can help guide those on a similar path to you. Do some research and ask the members of your team if there is anything they’d be interested in learning from you.

Plan ahead and use your support network

You’re not in this alone, and whether it’s work colleagues, family or friends - you will have a support network who can help you achieve your goals. Make a note of 2 career achievements you’d like to do in the next few months, whether it’s a side hobby or training course. Carve out the time and reach out to your support network to make it happen.

Speak up

How many meetings have you sat in where you’ve had something in your mind, but haven’t had the confidence to say it? To move up or across the ladder, you’ll need to introduce yourself to new people across the business - it may help you find a better fit in the long term. Meetings are a great opportunity to build your brand and have your say. Make it your goal for today.

Consider your work life balance

When you're focused on progression, your mind can spend more time thinking about work and less time enjoying life outside. There are incredible benefits that come with happy and fulfilled employees - so whether it’s the team you're leading or your life - be strict with your to-do list, finish on time and leave work at the doors.

Sharpen your storytelling skills

Leadership is not about telling people what to do, rather opening them up to possibilities. One of the best ways to do this is through the art of storytelling - it makes things memorable and can be very inspirational. Have a think about your personal experiences, and try and practice delivering it in a new way today.


6 Traits That Make a Great Leader, and How You Can Develop Them



1. Nurturing Spirit

In the past, nurturing was viewed as a weakness, with the fear that this trait would lead a person to be unable to make tough decisions on people or business. Today, it’s now known that the ability to nurture teams and colleagues should be welcomed into any organisation. It’s a key driver to create a culture of innovation and employee success.

You can build your nurturing skills by simply taking the time to listen. If you’re already a great listener, you could look at taking it to the next level by becoming a mentor or career coach within you organisation.

2. Confidence

Confidence is not simply having the ability to stand up and toot your own horn, it’s about self-worth. It is important for women to believe in themselves and not be afraid to speak up. But confidence also depends on the ability to accept and thrive from feedback and not undermine your own capabilities.

Confidence is something that can and should be built on every day. Whether it’s writing a list of achievements and giving yourself a pat on the back for it, or speaking up in a meeting that you haven’t had the courage to do before.

3. Vision

Vision is vital. A leader with vision can see the path ahead and inspires others to turn a plan into a reality. A well communicated vision will keep people on track, motivate and make obstacles in perspective.

If you struggle to naturally see the end goal, or vision – get creative. Write down your goals, both individually and as a team. Keep this front of mind and try not to get lost in the smaller details along the way.

4. Perseverance

Things rarely go to plan, challenges are part and parcel of work and personal life. Your strength should be gauged off the speed of being able to bounce back on track or admit times of defeat.

It’s these times when teams need leaders the most, you’ll have to demonstrate resilience and hard work whilst also often picking up the people around you.

5. Work Life Balance

Self-care should not take second place to striving for success. They should go hand in hand. People will find it hard to follow someone that doesn’t give the same care to themselves as they do to business. It’s been proven time and time again the impact of positive work life balance.

Balance does not always come naturally, but there are easy things you can do – if you struggle with stress, try a mindfulness app. If you’re swamped with meetings every day, set a meeting free day on Wednesday to reset your focus for the week. Take your health as seriously as your work.

6. Give back

The difference a successful leader can make to anyone is to be honest and transparent. No leader arrived at their position without overcoming challenges and mastering communication. Look for ways to work with people, not against them, communicate your successes and failures and inspire a new generation of leaders.

There are various ways you can do this, from a conversation over coffee, to writing a Medium post with some of the lessons you’ve learnt.