Sarahritchie17 This past week, I had the privilege to virtually attend the 2020 Officer Women Leadership Symposium (OWLS): Women’s Leadership for a Lifetime along with its Career Coaching Workshop, hosted by Academy Women @academywomenowls.
With the Career Coaching Workshop, the event was 3 days jam-packed with fantastic speakers and moderators, sharing wisdom and vulnerability to inspire female leaders and build their leadership toolkits. I ended up with 19-pages of hand-written notes and dozens of leadership nuggets to apply now and as I continue to lead and grow.
Today, I wanted to share with you 15 of my takeaways from the Symposium. I hope you can add some of these to your own toolkit. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be in a leadership position, I believe we are all leaders in our own ways and have responsibilities to show up for the people in our lives.
1. On the purpose of a financial advisor
Session: Women and Money: Mindful Financial Planning to Create the Life You Love // Facilitator: Alan Bisenieks, Financial Planner, First Command
Have a financial advisor who can provide you feedback and tell you what you need to hear vs. what you want to hear. They are a sounding board removed from your situation emotionally. Your financial advisor can provide you objective advice on whether you have enough money saved to buy a house or start a family.
2. On finding your competitive edge
Session: Finding Your Fit: How Passion and Purpose Transform a Career into a Lifestyle // Speaker: Alaina Love, CEO and Founder, Purpose Linked Consulting
There are 10 personality archetypes – discovering which you are allows you to use it as your competitive edge in finding a job that’s perfect for you:
- Creator
- Conceiver
- Discoverer
- Processor
- Teacher
- Connector
- Altruist
- Healer
- Transformer
- Builder
- View more on this here: Personality Archetypes
- Take the Passion Profiler here: https://thepurposelink.com/passion-profiler-tool/https://thepurposelink.com/passion-profiler-tool/
3. On using negotiation to live life on your own terms
Session: Building Confident Women at the Negotiation Table // Speaker: Dr. Yasmin Davidds, International Author, Founder Women’s Institute of Negotiation
- “Negotiation is a game with rules of engagement… If we know the rules, we can choose the ones that align with our values, dismiss the others, and change the game.”
- Gender roles have influenced the way we negotiate. Boys are taught that when they ask a girl on a date and she rejects him, to ask again because she might change her mind. When men and women are given 30 minutes to complete a task, when the time is up, the men ask for an extension; women don’t.
- Women tend to love to share info, men tend to view information as power.
4. On using the WIFM concept when negotiating
Session: Building Confident Women at the Negotiation Table // Speaker: Dr. Yasmin Davidds, International Author, Founder Women’s Institute of Negotiation
WIFM – What’s in it for me
Before you go into a negotiation, think about what’s in it for the person on the other side of the table. What does your boss stand to gain from giving you a raise? What does the company have to gain if it gives you a promotion?
5. On negotiating with different personalities
Session: Building Confident Women at the Negotiation Table // Speaker: Dr. Yasmin Davidds, International Author, Founder Women’s Institute of Negotiation
In general, if you are negotiating with someone who has masculine energy, lead with competence. If they have feminine energy, lead with connection.
6. On sustaining relationships for the long haul
Session: Navigating the Psychological Minefield of Transition // Speakers: Dr. Shauna Springer, Chief Psychologist, Stella Center & Jason Roncoroni, CEO, Ordinary Hero Coaching
In relationships, “accelerate towards productive conflict.” As you go through life, you will face transition, change, and pivot points. When you accelerate towards productive conflict, you learn how to grow and change together.
7. On transitioning from military to civilian
Session: Navigating the Psychological Minefield of Transition // Speakers: Dr. Shauna Springer, Chief Psychologist, Stella Center & Jason Roncoroni, CEO, Ordinary Hero Coaching
“Recognize that your best qualities are not your uniform, but the person behind the uniform.” Don’t discount your experiences. What you can do is infinite, so instead, key in on what you want to do. What did you join the military for? What is the next step? What is the trigger to ignite the passion to contribute to society?
8. On other people’s opinions
Session: Navigating the Psychological Minefield of Transition // Speakers: Dr. Shauna Springer, Chief Psychologist, Stella Center & Jason Roncoroni, CEO, Ordinary Hero Coaching
When someone offers you advice, remember it is from their perspective. Your perspective is different. Everyone’s experiences are unique.
9. On being an authentic leader
Session: Living a Life of Courage and Ethical Leadership // Speaker: Dr. Carol Fold, President University of Southern California
“Your difference and your authenticity are your true strength as a leader.”
Since women had few women leaders to emulate, we learned to bring our authenticity.
10. On connecting with others
Session: Living a Life of Courage and Ethical Leadership // Speaker: Dr. Carol Fold, President University of Southern California
“Having a conversation is more important than your own opinion.”
To me, this felt super relevant this year. Instead of broadcasting our own opinions all day, what if we actually sat down and had some tough conversations and listened to why others think the way they do? What if we brought some humanity back into a world overridden by social media?
11. On sustaining the transformation of future leaders
Session: Leading Authentically in a World of Change // Speaker: Lieutenant General Lori Reynolds, U.S. Marine Corps
“Never underestimate the influence you have.”
People look up to you and expect you to lead by example. People are watching and noticing the way you lead. Everything you do for your people matters, so be deliberate in the small things you do.
12. On history repeating itself
Panel Discussion: Finding Your Voice: Advocating to Change Culture // Moderator: Alaina Love, CEO Purpose Linked Consulting
Panelists:
- Colonel Don Christensen, USAF (ret), President Protect Our Defenders
- Jennifer L. Dane, Exec Director, Modern Military Association of America
- Dr. Sharoni Little, Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Southern California
- Lieutenant Colonel Jessica Ruttenber, USAF, HQ Air Force Lead Mobility Planner & Programmer
“History doesn’t repeat itself; humans repeat history.”
Dr. Sharoni Little
I thought this was so powerful because it puts the onus on us. We are responsible for not letting history repeat itself.
13. On diversity and inclusion
Panel Discussion: Finding Your Voice: Advocating to Change Culture // Moderator and Panelists: (See 12.)
“We’re really good at diversity but really bad at inclusion.”
“We” refers to the U.S. Armed Services in this case, but in general I think that’s where society is too, for the most part. We’ve started to make the room look more diverse, but what happens once they’re in the room? Are they being included in the conversation? Are minorities given opportunities to succeed and progress within their organizations? Do our standards and policies support the retention of a diverse workforce, or are they outdated? We need to have the larger conversation, and we also need to have policies that align.
14. On when we’ll get there
Panel Discussion: Finding Your Voice: Advocating to Change Culture // Moderator and Panelists: (See 12.)
“The measure looks like not having any more firsts. We need to move past that.”
I really liked the point that was made here. We should be beyond the first female this and the first minority that. Firsts are amazing because they break glass ceilings, but as a society, we need to get to the next level.
15. On imposter syndrome
Panel Discussion: Leading Toward a New Millennium: Leadership Opportunities and Challenges // Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Stephanie Wilson, U.S. Air Force
Panelists:
- Vice Admiral Linda Fagan, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area
- Dr. Carrie K. Baker, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, U.S. Space Force
- Meagan Flannigan, Senior Program Manager, Amazon, Ret. Naval Aviator
- Dr. Shauna Springer, Psychologist and Author
- Dr. Pan-Ling Yin, Professor and Director, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business
“No one knows as much as you think they do.”
- No one knows everything, they’re just faking it better.
- People who are comfortable not knowing and relying on their team and making the decision from that don’t struggle with imposter syndrome.
- Get comfortable with failing, saying ‘I don’t know,’ and still sharing what you have to offer.
- Make it okay to ask questions and not feel stupid; set the culture for your team.
Bonus: Book Recommendations
Here is a list of book recommendations from the event. Some are targeted towards military women specifically, but others are meant for any leader. I think the titles speak for themselves on that.
- The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results – by Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon
- Your Own Terms: A Woman’s Guide to Taking Charge of Any Negotiation – by Yasmin Davidds
- Beyond the Military: A Leader’s Handbook for Warrior Reintegration – by Jason Roncoroni and Dr. Shauna Springer
- Warrior: How to Support Those Who Protect Us – by Dr. Shauna Springer
- Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada’s First Female Infantry Officer – by Sandra Perron
- The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity While Embracing Differences to Achieve Success at Work – by Laura Liswood
- The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know – by Katy Kay and Claire Shipman
As I went through my notes to write this post, I realized I had so many more lessons learned that I wanted to share. So, there will be a Part 2 to this post coming next week! Keep an eye out for it.
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Cheers!
Sarah