Women in Leadership event

Last week, we hosted an event called “Women in Leadership”. Thank you everyone for attending!

We also want to thank our phenomenal panelists Lovisa Afzelius, Uzochi Erlingsson, Sofia Braag-Ankeny and Chista Bleyleben, as well as moderator Brooke Duffy for the interesting and insightful discussion.

Some key takeaways:

• All of these distinguished leaders have had allies - mentors and sponsors - along the way. Some other women, some men championing their success.

  • Lesson: Don’t go it alone. Ask for help, seek support, make connections.

• None of the talented women in the panel had a distinctly straight-line path towards their future. They tried many things, they made bold moves, they pivoted plenty.

  • Lesson: Get out of your comfort zone and be willing to explore all possibilities.

• Building up their own networks was an active effort over time. They participated in events and they joined groups. More importantly, they helped others.

  • Lesson: Be proactive in creating “your community”. Realize it’s not just the person you know, it’s 3 connections deeper. Accept the responsibility of helping others, and it will come back ten-fold.

• The US is still behind in gender equality in the workplace - a function of many factors including lack of representation, unnecessary judgement, and misplaced expectations.

  • Lesson: In this country, there still needs to be a major shift in mentality about women in the workplace. This will require change from the top down. Be the change. Don’t be afraid to demand the change in others.