Take The Lead Presented and Connected in 2014—and Wants Your Suggestions for 2015
We hate to repeat ourselves (oh, not really!), but 2014 was an incredible year for Take The Lead and our mission of leadership parity by 2025! Thank you to everyone—the fantastic leaders and facilitators and attendees—who joined us in 2014.
We have exciting things planned for 2015, but before we make all of our decisions, we want your input! Tell us in the comments section below what’s bugging you that you’d like Take The Lead to address, and what topics you want to see for webcasts, courses, or the blog. You can also suggest experts whose wisdom you admire. And tweet us at @takeleadwomen using the hashtag #takeleadwomen2015
To Get You Started…
Last week we recapped highlights from our Take The Lead Challenge launch event and our learning programs. Launch keynoters Sheryl Sandberg and Carla Harris were inspiring and definitely drew the crowds, but there’s way more to share from 2014 about how the Take The Lead community PRESENTED and CONNECTED.
Women in Media: How Far We’ve Come and the Work We’ve Got To Do
One launch highlight was a powerhouse Women’s Media Center panel on the impact of media on women’s leadership—a topic we’ve also written about in “Leadership Fictions” with FEM-Inc. Watch the rich conversation during the medial panel here, featuring Karen Finney(MSNBC), Julie Burton (Women’s Media Center), Erica Gonzalez (El Diario/La Prensa), Kristin Gilger (ASU Cronkite School for Journalism), Aminatou Sow (TechLady Mafia), and Pat Mitchell (Paley Center for Media). To top it off, Burton released the Women’s Media Center’s annual groundbreaking “The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2014” report.
Understanding the Role Confidence Plays
Would workplaces become more balanced and society more equitable if women exhibited more confidence? Katty Kay and Claire Shipman created a stir with their book The Confidence Code and their article, “The Confidence Gap” in The Atlantic. To continue this important conversation, we were honored to have Shipman speak to the Take The Lead community in July about how personal confidence relates to women advancing in the workplace and in society. Yes, women face very real barriers, no matter how confident we are, but leading with confidence expands our possibilities in ways that change our lives and the lives of other women. (Like this quote? Tweet it!) Did you attend this event with Shipman? What did you learn? This confidence question will surely be an ongoing conversation, so we’d love to hear your thoughts!
The Solution to Feeling Stuck: Get a Coach!
At Take The Lead we teach women to define their lives and careers on their own terms. But history has also told us how crucial it is to seek help when we need it. That’s why we were so excited to gather some of the best coaches we know for an event in NYC sponsored by the fabulous ALEX AND ANI. Alisa Cohn, Robyn Hatcher, Bonnie Marcus, Dana Balicki, Audrey S. Lee, Maggie Castro Stevens, and Leslie Grossman joined us to share their wisdom and generously donate hours of coaching time to attendees. See photos from the event and learn more here.
Circling Up!
One way we work to achieve leadership parity at Take The Lead is by working with women across all backgrounds, generations, and professional fields. And we’re proud to collaborate with a larger resurgent women’s movement we see happening all around us. One way we create connections among women is through our online Take The Lead Community. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so. Whatever your field, whatever stage of your career, use this community to network and get honest, actionable advice from other accomplished women having valuable conversations. Soon we’ll be adding a mentoring component you won’t want to miss.
Gearing Up for 2015
Stay in touch with Take The Lead by signing up for our newsletter, and following us Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Thanks again to everyone who joined us this year and stay tuned for exciting developments in 2015!
Remember! Please take a moment in the comments section to tell us what’s bugging you, highlight learning topics you want to see in our webcasts, courses, or blog, and suggest experts you admire. You can also tweet us at @takeleadwomen using the hashtag #takeleadwomen2015.
If you’re moved by the work Take The Lead does to give women and men true parity across all sectors, it’s not too late to donate to enable us to Teach, Connect, and Present to more people next year. Read more about our strategy for change, Take The Lead’s 4 keys to leadership parity, here.
About the Author
TAKE THE LEAD prepares, develops, inspires and propels women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025. It’s today’s women’s movement — a unique catalyst for women to embrace power and reach leadership parity.