Women's Leadership Today
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Here’s an excerpt from an interview I did with THE GREAT LEADERS digital magazine on women’s leadership.
“Leadership with passion allows you the freedom of creativity without the burden of logic.”
Today, we spoke with Debbie Gisonni, Founder of SELF POWER NOW!
How do you balance work and life responsibilities?
There was a time where all I had was work and no life. And, I have to admit, my Type A personality loved it! I had a supportive husband who was also in tech, a few dogs instead of children, and a lot of energy that made all that work feel natural and easy. But after my family ordeal, when I lost four family members in four years, something shifted inside of me. When you see how quickly life could end, your priorities change. At that time, given the high level position and responsibility I had at work, there was no way
I could slightly adjust the balance equation. I had to completely step off the treadmill and regroup to figure out how to reach equilibrium. That took a lot of personal and spiritual work. I had to redefine my own version of success that didn’t hang solely on making big money with a fancy title and stock options. By the time I wrote my second book, The Goddess of Happiness, I had finally figured what was important for balance. It was paying attention to and nurturing all of me—the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional realms. Life and work have a place in all of these areas, but so do happiness, health, pets, family, friends, relationships, peace, and love. That’s what I’ve been teaching people for years, and what I based my SELF POWER NOW! digital courses around.
As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?
Three career barriers come to mind that are particular to women:
1. Emphasis on youth and beauty. Call it ageism or beauty culture, men are considered wiser and more experienced as they age, while women are cast aside. This is clearly evident in TV news and entertainment shows where there are two co-hosts—one middle age man and one young woman. It’s usually never the other way around. Even TV sitcoms have traditionally paired up a beautiful looking wife with a goofy looking husband. What’s up with that?
2. Necessity to prove value. While this exists in all industries, particularly at the highest levels, it’s more prevalent in industries or jobs that have traditionally been male dominated—tech, engineering, manufacturing, and space, to name a few. Men’s qualifications are taken at face value, but women often need to prove their worth before being taken seriously.
3. Different standards for leadership. As leaders, men are expected to make hard, sometimes unfavorable decisions, to take charge, and to be tough. These are normal and necessary traits for good leadership. However, women leaders with those same traits can often be seen as cold or bitchy!
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
When we finally view men and women as equal, things will change for the better. Until then, anything that moves that needle along, whether legislative or societal, will help. So, as a next gen female leader, think about the greater good for your worldwide sisterhood by doing what you can in your own work and life to highlight women. In society, it’s important that we celebrate women in power by featuring them in the media as much as possible, and as much as their male counterparts. In business, we need to pave the way to have more women in power in top board seats, c-suite, middle management, and throughout the organization. Of course, that includes equal pay!
I also want to mention how important it is to provide good role models and education about gender equality to our children as early as possible. It starts with the parents or caregivers and extends to the school system. Children need to grow up with the belief that all genders are equal and equally powerful. This will help create a society where children turn into adults who also feel worthy, empowered, and strong themselves, no matter their gender identity.
What was your organizational culture few years ago for women and working mothers? Do you feel the company should make annual efforts towards improving the culture for their cohort?
I’ve taken the best practices from companies I’ve worked with and for, and applied them to my own life and work in terms of creating a culture that is open, inclusive and understanding. I mainly work with independent contractors, some of whom are women juggling careers, children, and family. I don’t expect them to be working the same hours or even days that I am. But I do expect and respect that family should always come first.
When I am called into a company to direct either for a short-term or long-term period, the first thing I review is the company culture. And yes, this should be an annual review by the employees for all companies. If the top leaders are in sync and providing a good example for working women and mothers, that culture will trickly down to all levels of the company.
Are there common threads from the backgrounds, experience and skills of current women leaders that future women leaders can learn from to inspire their own Global Goals leadership journeys?
These may not seem like business skills, but they are life skills that will translate into business success for any woman:
Self-Awareness: Society defines power by our outer appearances (career, money, title), but a person’s true power lies within. That’s where self-awareness comes in. The modern dilemma, however, is that self-awareness is a quiet, inner journey at a time when we’re mainly focused on our noisy, outer journey. It wasn’t until I started practicing meditation, staying silent, and being present, that I was able to recognize and connect with my true power. When you can tap into that, you can be powerful no matter how restrictive or challenging your outer world may be.
Self-Love: Self-love is the most important lesson we’re here to learn, and definitely necessary for success in anything you do in life. It allows you to show up in the world with confidence and a belief that you have the power to accomplish anything. How can you give your team the confidence they need to succeed if you don’t have it yourself? Self-love, like self-awareness, is an inner journey that connects you to your true power source.
Levity: Life is short. A job is just a job. All work and no play makes you a dull person. These statements make the point that if you’re not having fun—at least sometimes—why bother? We all take ourselves so seriously, particularly when we focus on what the outer world dictates is important. In the big scheme of things, our life is but one nanosecond of time and experience. Laughter, fun, and play make life and work a whole lot easier, particularly when times are tough.
What actions can both women and men take to encourage a greater number of women to lead on the Global Goals from across sectors and industries, including business, government, academia, and civil society?
We can lead by example by doing whatever we can that lights up our own passion in achieving global goals. This is different for every woman. For one, it might be joining a cause. For another, it might be writing an article. For yet another, it might be teaching. Any action towards positive change counts in helping to make the world a better place. It also helps others see what is possible. What’s important is to answer what the Universe is calling you to do. And to feel comfortable expressing that without judgement, without fear and with complete equality and authority.
Can you share your own leadership quote?
Leadership with passion allows you the freedom of creativity without the burden of logic.