How do you strengthen your visioning skills, overcome obstacles to success, and position yourself for the corner office? Shirley Wulf and I spoke on this topic last week to over 30 women at the Women’s Energy Network in Pittsburgh. We found it inspiring to meet so many women at various professional levels within the energy industry who were excited to learn more about the tools necessary to becoming extraordinary leaders. They were an incredibly engaged group and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
During the workshop, it became apparent that many of these women desire even more leadership training. Some felt that they are undervalued in their current roles and, in some cases, discouraged from developing as leaders, so they really embraced having the opportunity to assess their individual leadership skills and to identify both strengths and opportunities. As self-awareness is the cornerstone of leadership development, we encouraged all of our participants to move this work forward into the workplace by asking for feedback (yes, it takes courage!), and by creating the opportunity for themselves to engage in some type of 360 degree feedback instrument.
Some of the highlights of the event include the group’s validation of one another in terms of experiences in facing similar obstacles, and their subsequent sharing of successful strategies that they’ve used to overcome those obstacles. It was evident that they appreciated the mutual encouragement and support. They were also thrilled to learn real strategies that they could use to improve their envisioning skills, and without a doubt, everyone was eager and motivated to collaborate with and support one another in this endeavor. They walked away not only with a renewed commitment to their leadership development, but also with a strong sense of support and validation as well.
It was an honor to meet this group of dynamic women and to get to know their personal and professional situations. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their leadership development; it was rewarding to speak to so many motivated women looking to improve their skills and develop as leaders. We look forward to continuing our relationship with them and to celebrating their continued success in the energy industry!