The past 7 years of my life in business and entrepreneurship have been quite a ride – as promised! This share is personal – and it focuses on one of the most exciting and hope-inspiring shifts that I’ve seen in leadership and business from the unique vantage point that I now sit in by jumping into business feet first.
Going (if not quite gone) are the days of rigid hierarchies, power plays and politics at work. A fresh new leadership style is emerging, and I’ve experienced it as being championed by women.
From the boardroom to the bedroom, we trailblazers are redefining what it means to live and embody a new kind of leadership.
Instead of commanding from an ivory tower, we're prioritizing collaboration, lifting others up, and bringing more voices to the table.
This transition has been clunky for me, to say the least.
I’ve grown up in educational systems and been conditioned in ‘classic’ corporate culture that operates in ways I’m familiar with and questioned only ever covertly.
I’ve done the grind, operated from fear mode, and crashed and burned over and over again that it’s taken me much longer than a white hot minute to recalibrate mind, body, and being to a ‘new normal.’
Even as founder and CEO of my own company where I’m the one who makes the rules, determines the pace and gets to define what ‘success’ is and how it’s measured, it’s taken me the time it takes to find the right new configuration that works both for me and those I work with – and it’s still a work in progress.
Perhaps because as a s*x coach, I learned the immense value of pleasure and of listening to my body’s own wisdom; and as an expert in relationships, the power of deep connection, vulnerability and clear communication, that this new approach to leadership that values open conversations, shared decision-making power and creating spaces where everyone feels empowered to contribute, so right to me.
It's leadership with relational intelligence - building consensus, reading between the lines, and making others feel truly heard.
Why the shift?
The old way isn’t working. We are unwilling to continue:
-Burning out
-Sacrificing a happy family life and healthy relationship for work
-Accepting that work must be meaningless drudgery
Women have long exercised influence through interpersonal bonds rather than formal authority. With an ability to be with nuance and placing a priority on well-being, we're breathing fresh air into stale power dynamics.
I’m not saying that we’ve totally nailed it. But we’re getting somewhere.
As the tides turn, those bold enough to embrace this more inclusive style of leading will be poised to make waves.
If you're ready to up-level your leadership with more collaboration and emotional wisdom, I'm here to help.