Powerful Woman Leader Characteristics

In addition to a list of five questions, some of which I will share my answers to below, Marie shared with me the following introduction that she had made to her instructor on her request to interview me. The topic was on Powerful Women and their characteristics.

Marie's introduction to her instructor:

I selected this interview candidate for a few reasons. The first being that I just met up with her this week, after losing touch with her about a year ago when she left the company. The second reason is that she is someone that I truly admire.

I will give you a little background about her. I met K.C. about 10 years ago at my workplace. She took an administrative position in my department. However, she had big dreams and ambition to climb the ladder to become one of the few women leaders in our company. She was bold and determined to succeed. She went back to finish her college degree in Marketing along with taking additional onsite courses offered through our company. In no time at all, she received her bachelor's degree in marketing. She was also promoted several times and moved to various positions within the company.

Her last job was working as a consultant, teaching Six Sigma and lean principles to the management team and the more than four hundred staff. She was working hard and putting in many hours. Along this path, she discovered that there are obvious conflicting values; her own personal values did not align with the values of corporate America.

She comes to many crossroads and begins to struggles with whether she really fits into any job in corporate America. She reached a place in life where money and position were no longer her driving force. She begins to question if she should pursue another path of her own---one that would bring her happiness and satisfaction.

She goes through career counseling and realizes that she should become an entrepreneur. She decides to pursue her MBA for international management in hope to write or do some public speaking about her life experiences. This was something that she always dreamed about but was afraid to go after.

Well, when she came to see me, she gave me a signed copy of her first published book Bad Girl Gone Mom. I am amazed and so proud of her. She continued to pursue happiness and through the many obstacles in her life she finds herself and realizes her purpose and passion.

Marie's professor agreed to the assignment request, and she asked me. Of course, I got excited and will share my responses with you as author news fodder.

One of her questions to me was:

1. What are five "keys to success" that you have learned about women leaders?

My reply:

I used to think that women had to emulate men to be successful in business and now I know better.

1. To be a successful woman leader, you have to have a vision or an idea of where you want to be.

2. You have to be organized and be able to communicate that vision well enough to get others to buy in. You are not a leader if no one is following and you cannot negotiate or compromise with people. If you don't know everything, surround yourself with people that do.

3. You have to listen to others and learn from them, adjusting the vision as you go based upon new information. You have to trust your team and get them the help that they need.

4. You have to have enough confidence to go forward against odds, and you also have to have enough common sense to not go forward when there are dangers. Manage the risks and mitigate them as you can.Focus on the data and the numbers, rather than the emotions.

5. Adopt a life-long-learning stance. Being willing to learn is a huge part of the process, and recognizing that when you mess up it is also a part of the learning process. Admit it, take ownership and right the problem if you can, and then move on. Don't get stuck beating yourself up. Life is a journey, not a destination. Don't give up, keep moving forward and eventually you will realize that you come into your own and have become a powerful woman too.

Another question Marie asked -
When did you realize you were a leader?

My reply:

About six months before I left my last company, we had a change in President at work, and I was attending a management dinner. The new President was outlining what he wanted to see from his staff; his leadership team. He wanted a man or woman who would challenge others to go beyond his or her comfort zones. He wanted someone ethical. He wanted someone who could get the job done with the least amount of problems and frustration.

After our company President's speech, one of the girls in my peer group looked at me, and said, "That's you Kay. You are a true leader."

I was amazed at her response. When I protested, she said, "No, I am serious. You are all those things and more. You tell us what you expect, you tell us how to get there if we are stuck, you force us to do what we need to do to meet documentation requirements, you motivate us, and you reward and recognize us. You don't compromise and you get a lot more done around here than most. You are a powerful woman leader in this company."
It took her to say it out loud for me to realize that I had become a powerful woman leader.

Source:

Interview with K.C. Lauer (aka Kay Balbi) for Marie @ BayPath - Powerful women leaders

For more info on KC see http://kbalbify.com