Jane gives her thoughts on women leaders and who inspires them .. "Maya Angelou was and continues to be one of
my heroes. She had a voice that made
your ears feel as if they were being brushed by velvet and wisdom that made
world leaders stop in their tracks. It
was my dream’s wish to sit at her feet and listen, like a toddler on the mat at
story time, simply soaking in her words and basking in her presence. Well, maybe I’ll get the opportunity in
another life or another realm, who knows?
Maya Angelou’s death in May 2014 got me
thinking about women leaders and who inspires them. Who do the women aspiring to become the next
leaders have to look up to? Are there
currently women in your organisations who you would like to emulate? According to a UK survey conducted by the
Chartered Management Institute there are very few current leaders, in their
members’ organisations, which have inspirational qualities. In fact the recent economic downturn,
experienced by most western countries, seems to have given a rise to
dictatorial rather than inspirational characteristics in the workplace.
Looking at popular press it would give the
indication that young women, today, are more interested in getting a butt like
a Kardashian rather than a mind like Maya Angelou. I may be wrong and in fact I hope that I am,
as it strikes me that women will need to take charge of changing the landscape of leadership. Years of equality legislation has failed to
secure the right for women to rise to levels equal in status and pay to their
male counterparts. Therefore, it will
require women to develop more than just that, which indicates aesthetic appeal
to achieve this goal.
So, I would like to ask all women, who are
your inspirational heroes, whose feet would you like to sit at to listen and
learn? What can their journey teach you
as a leader today? Who are the great
women ambassadors that have led the way that you can follow and in following
their footsteps are you leaving behind you a path for other young women to
tread?
As
a potential influence on future females are you heading towards the legacy of a
stunning butt, or a brilliant mind? I
know which one I would choose, if in fact a choice has to be made."
