As my graduation from UWM approaches, my focus has shifted to starting a career, so I was pleased to attend the recent Women Leadership Conference 2010 hosted by UWM’s School of Continuing Education. Several key thoughts resonated with me as I prepare to enter the full-time business world and build my career.
Chief HR Officer at Xerox and keynote speaker, Pat Nazemetz spoke of the paradigm shift in characteristics required for leadership in the new workplace, the new workforce and the new economy. “Workforce 2020 will be driven by agile, “right brain,” big-picture types who will use these characteristics to lead and inspire a more diverse and complex workforce in a dynamic economy.” Pat asked the audience of 300 plus women what they thought was the most important quality in a leader: intelligence, teamwork, vision, courage or empathy. Surprisingly, intelligence was the least chosen response. With intelligence deemed a given, courage and vision were chosen as the most important qualities of a successful leader. As the workforce changes, the qualities needed to lead will change.
Pat’s key next generation leadership characteristic, courage, is in line with the theme I heard throughout the conference – dare to do things differently. Here are some other points I heard:
- Take smart, calculated risks. Step out from the rest of the pack.
- Continually seek ways to re-invent yourself as an on-going life management skill.
- Look for more answers from more people (mentor and be mentored).
- Find a leadership style that you feel comfortable in.
As a leader at every level in my career, these are all valuable points to remember whether treading new waters or covering familiar ground. We look forward to hearing the powerful stories and insights of next year’s speakers at the Women Leaders Conference 2011. You can follow the leadership conversation and conference updates on the UWM SCE website or WIWomenLeaders Twitter, Linked In or Facebook pages.