Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman? | Carla Howard | TEDxBartonSpringsWomen

Women receive conflicting and confusing advice on how to rise in their careers. Typically this well intended guidance leaves us feeling like we need to change who we are at our core, act more like men in the workplace, hide our femininity, and adopt uncomfortable behaviors that don't reflect who we really are.

[sarakeane]

Carla Howard interestingly enough my 11yr old daughter said sure you could be in charge mom but not of anything important like being the president!!!! I was blown away as I have worked professionally my whole life. I asked my 6yr old son who was in charge he said “you Mom of course”. I asked him could I do something like run the country and again I was blown away, he said “Mom you can do whatever you want”. That disparity worries me, your talk has set me on a different trajectory in the conversations I will have with my kids. So important to lead in an inspirational way, that gives them confidence that the sky is the limit and nobody can set barriers that they can’t overcome. Thanks for the talk :-) !!!

[melissaogea]

Great topic Carla! And thank you for not laying the blame on just men. The perceptions cross genders.

A woman leader isn’t confident, she is abrasive
A woman leader isn’t decisive, she is pushy
A woman leader isn’t smart, she is manipulative
A woman leader doesn’t have a strong voice, her voice is shrill
A woman leader didn’t succeed with her abilities, she “slept her way to the top”
A woman leader isn’t strong and independent, she is sad and lonely

Time for change!

[staceykurzendorfer]

Interestingly, my son and I watched the video together, and before he saw the pictures you showed, he said a leader for him is someone who makes changes with being asked and voices their opinion regardless of the outcome. What a wonderful message about societal change and leaving blame out of the equation!

[letyhaynes]

This message needs to be heard by everyone, but especially by those who have small children

[tineshalewis]

This video is truly inspiring. Deciding NOT to blame is powerful. When time is spent blaming, so many brilliant solutions go unnoticed and valuable focus is lost. Let's all respect and encourage women and men equally, because everyone deserves fair representation at the table.

[sarahhoran]

As soon as I watched this I was so curious to see what my 8yr old daughter would draw. Our household is so balanced, mum and dad both working and sharing the household chores, a strong granny who used to run A&E (ER), a female teacher and head teacher. So many strong female role models. But she still drew a man! Wow! We even have a female prime minister on tv constantly. Lots of work still to be done! We need to keep this topic at the forefront!

[nancyhelmerich]

I am going to share this with some of the professional groups at my work place to see if we can get that discussion and imagination going. Nice job, Carla!

[AbramBachtiar]

Great video Carla! Thank you for sharing. I've also shared this with my nieces!

[ashtonparmer]

This was a great message on such a relevant topic. I look forward to testing your experiment. Being able to successfully lead in any capacity is not directly related to one's gender, but rather their abilities and confidence in those abilities.

[marijanetroche]

"They give you hope". There is hope. Great video I will be happy to share.

[humanizingleadership]

This is a fantastic example of what meaningful conversations about gender equity look like! I will also be quoting you on your description of the path to more women in leadership: "paved with conversation, imagination, and possibility."

[timsmith]

Very interesting. In my experience, the most successful men were empathetic and collaborative. These traits are typically labeled as feminine but they're not. Women will rise in the workplace when they are confident that they add value and can express that value well.

[jamestorrey]

Amazing message - I truly enjoyed this clip. Thank you for sharing!

[traceyirons]

Wonderful discussion, Carla! I can't wait to try the experiment with others in my life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this very important topic.

[Sofie_Monroe]

Thanks Carla for continuing the share insightful leadership that helps us all grow. I love how you share on topics such as this as well as millennials. Great Work!

[janiceswanson]

Wow! What a great message Carla! I really enjoyed this presentation.

[rckeeling]

This is such an important message. Great job Carla!!

[alifedesignedteamcoaching]

Great talk Carla! Very clear presentation of this important idea!

[annenevel]

Great talk! Excellent, important message!

[joegonzsles]

Excellent content. Great presentation.