leadership is courage in action.

The world eagerly awaits a new generation of leaders. Those leaders will be women – women who have learned to integrate sharply honed leadership competencies with the legacy of being a woman. In our patriarchal culture, being a leader has, historically, been incongruent with being a woman. Not anymore. The very skills that make us women, the traits by which we define ourselves – relational, communicative, open to negotiation, and so on – are the very traits needed to move us forward.

The challenge? As women, how do we reconcile our need to maintain and cultivate relationships with stepping out of the group that needs to be led? How do we do the right thing even though others might feel left behind, hurt, or betrayed? How do we honor ourselves, our commitments, our families, our communities, and lead at the same time? It takes courage, and courage is a skill that is learned. What does courage have to do with leadership? Everything!