Sarahritchie17 Last week, I shared with you 15 takeaways from the first day and a half of the 2020 Officer Women Leadership Symposium (OWLS) hosted by Academy Women @academywomenowls. I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into a digestible post, so here’s part 2 with 15 more takeaways from the second and third days. Enjoy!
16. On failure
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
“Talking about failures is more fulfilling than talking about successes because you learn more from failing.”
Meagan Flannigan
I really liked this statement because I thought it was a great way to look at failure. Failure has such a negative connotation, and I’ll admit, I am afraid of failure. But it’s true that failure is where you learn and grow the most and challenge yourself to do better next time. When you fail at something, it drives you to reflect and change and come out stronger.
17. On maintaining passion for what you do
Panel Discussion: Leading Toward a New Millennium: Leadership Opportunities and Challenges // Moderator and Panelists: (See 16.)
“Be honest with your expectations; your passions and priorities in your 20’s will be different than in your 40’s. Be able to go to the next chapter happily and feeling fulfilled… When you start to get cynical, maybe it’s time to move on. Evolve what drives you and fills you up. Leap, dream, live big, and have the courage to change.”
Meagan Flannigan
18. On what good mentorship looks like
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator: Nikki Schuler, Program Director eMentor
Panelists:
- Kareshia T. Ponder, Navy Chief, Congressional Liaison/Paralegal
- Dr. Joseph Hamlett, Leading 2 Change Consulting
- Dr. W. Brad Johnson, Professor of Psychology, Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy
- Karina Opdyke, Principal at Deloitte
- Carol Zanmiller, CEO of Cosmic AES
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- Mentors open your eyes to possibility.
- Inspire you to give back and continue the chain.
- Great mentors also coach, network, and sponsor.
- Use their position to elevate others.
19. On competing with your peers
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator and Panelists: (See 18.)
“Actually, we’re both here. We both have our own lanes, and we’re both going to be fine.”
Chief Kareshia Ponder
“You can be next to someone and not be competing against them.”
Chief Kareshia Ponder
This was a concept I talked about in one of my first blog posts (5 [Not So] Hidden Lessons in Frozen 2 for Adults). There is space in the world for two queens. Said another way, community over competition or abundance mentality vs. scarcity mentality. We can afford to support one another and uplift one another instead of always viewing each other as competition.
20. On having a busy mentor
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator and Panelists: (See 18.)
Ask for advice in small snippets when you have a busy mentor.
I have struggled with this before—not wanting to bother a mentor because they are important and busy with their work. I thought this was a great strategy. Instead of asking for chunks of time, just ask a 5-minute question. You can sometimes gain just as much from many short interactions as you can from fewer longer conversations. I also like the concept of bite-size mentoring as advice for mentors. Be a “mentor of the moment” for someone. Sometimes taking just a few minutes to talk with someone can make a huge impact.
21. On being a mentor
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator and Panelists: (See 18.)
“I ask my mentees to always have a specific strategic ask of me at every meeting. I then walk away feeling like I was doing something and had an objective.”
-Karina Opdyke
22. On staying humble
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator and Panelists: (See 18.)
“Don’t be intimidated by good ideas from those subordinate to you.”
You don’t have to have all the answers as a leader or mentor. Create an environment where people of all ranks are comfortable bringing ideas to you, and be receptive to those ideas. Mentoring is a two-way street, and many times, there is just as much to be learned from a mentee as there is from a mentor.
23. On having diversity in your mentors
Panel Discussion: Mentors: How to Get One, How to Be One // Moderator and Panelists: (See 18.)
Someone with a different background than you can teach you something new every day. Understand the value of a diverse perspective, and find mentors who don’t look like you.
This was a concept I paraphrased from one of the panelist’s personal experiences. Diversity and inclusion are not only workplace issues, but they’re also things we should be thinking about in our own circles. Having a diverse network can pay incredible dividends in learning different perspectives and professional growth as a leader.
24. On inspiration
Fireside Chat: From Military Leadership to Inspired Action: Using Our Cultural Competencies to Inspire Calm, Clear, and Moderated Action // Moderators: Dr. Kyleanne M. Hunter, USMC Veteran, professor of military and strategic studies at USAFA, co-director of Athena Leadership Project & Laura Campbell, Senior Partner of InspireCorps
“Inspiration is when possibility and opportunity are present at the same time. You can ignite inspiration in yourself and others. In fact, that’s a leader’s first job.”
25. On getting re-inspired when life knocks you down
Fireside Chat: From Military Leadership to Inspired Action: Using Our Cultural Competencies to Inspire Calm, Clear, and Moderated Action // Moderators: Dr. Kyleanne M. Hunter, USMC Veteran, professor of military and strategic studies at USAFA, co-director of Athena Leadership Project & Laura Campbell, Senior Partner of InspireCorps
- Catch your breath.
- Find your way to change your perspective (take a walk, yoga, meditation, go outside, etc.).
- Draw inspiration from others in your support network. Lean on those you know will support you, help pick you back up, and give you the tough love you need.
- Find people you can vent to (#feministflotilla).
- Find someone who can hold your inspiration. (Someone who will hold you accountable to your goals and aspirations and remind you why you started.)
26. On lifelong leadership, change, and growth
Session: Third Space Thinking: Building Soft Skills Critical for Leading in Today’s World // Speaker: Shellee Smith, Executive Director, Center for Third Space Thinking, University of Southern California
“Leadership is a lifelong journey that requires you to push and set new goals.”
- You can’t move up the ladder if you’re not willing to change.
- When you’re uncomfortable, you know you’re getting somewhere.
- There is no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone.
27. On empathy vs. sympathy
Session: Third Space Thinking: Building Soft Skills Critical for Leading in Today’s World // Speaker: Shellee Smith, Executive Director, Center for Third Space Thinking, University of Southern California
- Brené Brown description of Empathy vs. Sympathy: https://brenebrown.com/videos/rsa-short-empathy/
- Empathy makes others feel respected and heard.
- Empathy: practices active listening, willing to collaborate, can turn a good follower into an inspired worker.
- Sympathy requires less emotional energy. Empathy requires vulnerability.
28. On being mentally present
Session: Performance Under Stress and Creating Mindful Leaders // Speaker: Dr. Jannell MacAulay, Combat Veteran, Leader, and Mindfulness Advocate
“The majority of catastrophes you will experience in your life will only occur in your mind.”
Be the director of your mindset. We mind-wander almost half of our waking moments which inhibits our ability to connect. And when we mind-wander, most of the time, we are thinking about stressors.
29. On practicing mindfulness
Session: Performance Under Stress and Creating Mindful Leaders // Speaker: Dr. Jannell MacAulay, Combat Veteran, Leader, and Mindfulness Advocate
Mindfulness – strengthening your mental stamina to stay present in the current moment; mental push-ups; exercising your brain
For example, direct your attention to a single simple thing like the sensation of a breath filling your lungs.
Take mindful minutes throughout the day if a 15 minute-meditation seems like too much to start.
12 mindful minutes throughout each day is ideal.
30. On fear of other people’s opinions (FOPO)
Session: Performance Under Stress and Creating Mindful Leaders // Speaker: Dr. Jannell MacAulay, Combat Veteran, Leader, and Mindfulness Advocate
“You should only care about the feedback and opinions of 5 people in your life. Everyone else is in the cheap seats!”
We too often get wrapped up in what other people think. Remember that other people don’t get to control your life. You do you with respect for those that truly matter, and the people that matter will support you.
Bonus: Book Recommendations
Here is a list of book recommendations from the second and third days of the Symposium.
- Dare to Inspire: Sustain the Fire of Inspiration in Work and Life – by Allison Holzer, Sandra Spataro, Jen Grace Baron
- Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead: by Sheryl Sandberg
- Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness – by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
- Dare to Lead – by Brené Brown
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams – by Matthew Walker, PhD
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Cheers!
Sarah
