There is nothing new about Women in leadership roles, what is new is that we’re banding together to support each other like never before! I had the privilege to go to a conference on Women in Leadership recently and I wanted to share a few of the pearls of wisdom I took away from the four exceptional speakers.

Leaders have a strong and unyielding belief and a clear vision of how to achieve it. They also have the ability to communicate it to their team or audience and both inspire and empower others to join the cause.

Strong leaders recognise the meaning and purpose in what they are doing, and the successful leaders identify the purpose as being greater than achieving KPIs or Company targets. When they can clearly see that their project and ambition is going to change the world for the better it’s easy to get the team on board! Essentially, the identification of meaning builds passion within, and I never known a great leader to lack passion.

Exceptional leaders recognise their values, are able to convey them succinctly and constantly use them to drive decisions and actions. When they are looking to recruit new team members it’s easy to check if their values are aligned and they will fit into the ethos of the organisation.

Massive personal commitment is another facet of great leadership. It takes sacrifice, dedication and a heap of faith to continue being a leader. Now, I think you’ve probably heard most of the above before, so here’s where I think us females take the lead, if you know what I mean.

Great female leaders listen to their intuition, it guides them and warns them and is a skill that can be honed and relied upon. They also are open to asking for help, admitting when their wrong and comfortable highlight others achievements before their own. Great female leaders are able to be authentic about who they are and what they need, never apologising for having a family and choosing to live their values.

The conference was a great success and the last speakers finished with this quote “If your actions inspire others to learn more, do more or dream more – You are a Leader!”