Tag Archives: Leader

NDILC Women Leadership Principle #9: Prepare for the Future with Council Member Dr. Chitra Dorai

Posted on by NAWRB

NAWRB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC) introduced their Ten Women Leadership Principles in 2020, which they collectively created to help women in the workforce become more effective leaders at any stage of their careers, and empower other women to reach their full potential. This is a universal guide for all levels of leadership, and any woman can benefit from applying them. This week, NDILC presents the ninth principle, “Prepare for the Future” shared with a personal story by NDILC Member Dr. Chitra Dorai, AI Scientist, Founder & CEO, AmicusBrain.

In the upcoming weeks, each of these principles will be presented in detail with a personal message from an NDILC member about her experiences applying these principles to her professional and personal life. To learn more about the NDILC, please visit www.NAWRB.com/NDILC/.

Women Leadership Principle #9: Prepare for the Future by Dr. Chitra Dorai

Prepare for the Future: Women with advanced skills today will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

The harsh truth from the latest report from the World Economic Forum, WEF (https://www.weforum.org/reports/gender-gap-2020-report-100-years-pay-equality) is that we will not see the gender gap close in our lifetimes, and nor will parity be experienced in the lifetimes of our children. The single most disheartening finding I read in recent times is that the world will need another 99.5 years to close the gender gap.

Gender parity is all about closing the gender gap that persists in access to Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment — the four critical dimensions used by WEF to track and benchmark progress made by countries across the globe.

Too wide to bridge is the gender gap in economic participation. What stands in the way of attaining economic gender parity? Among a number of challenges that slow down making progress, women’s under presentation in emerging roles that show the highest wage growth is a big one. Obviously technology roles that require advanced skills also provide one of the best ways to increased economic opportunity. There are other job roles requiring advanced skills as entrepreneurs and business owners that pave the path to prosperity. Statistics are rife about the deteriorating numbers in terms of women’s participation in STEM fields. Only 15% of engineers are women!

To deal with the rapidly changing, increasingly automated world, women need to focus on acquiring advanced skills by reskilling or upskilling. Learning advanced skills that matter today and beyond is critical in order to take advantage of the opportunities for wage growth and increased access to capital. Women with advanced skills of today will then be able to shape the future and be the future.

Check out Dr. Chitra Dorai on the Know the Rules of the Game Podcast: Defining the Future – Click here

NDILC’s Ten Women Leadership Principles

  1. Acknowledge Trailblazers: Know and learn from the women who came before you. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants: “So, what does a trailblazer even mean? Defined in the formal context, it is a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; pathfinder; a pioneer in any field of endeavor; a vigorous independent; a person who is the first to do something that other people do later.  Implied in this definition is the fact that these people are leaders, risk-takers, and are not afraid to push boundaries.” Read More.
  2. Keep Achieving: Effective leaders always keep learning. There is always something to learn and improve upon: “Achieving. Learning. Growing. Changing…all words that are used very often to tell us what we should be doing and what we must be doing in order to survive and be effective in today’s world.  No one would debate the need for continuous learning and growth.  Information continues to bombard us from every angle, but is that really knowledge?” Read More.
  3. Believe: Whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve. Believe: “Think and Grow Rich is not about money. Does it seem out of place or sorts to reference a book whose title suggests financial aspirations during a once in a century pandemic when everyone is thinking about safety and survival instead of personal growth?” Read More.
  4. Pass the Torch: Give opportunities to future generations of women. Your legacy will be the people you help along the journey: “Doesn’t everyone want a legacy?  A reason to be remembered? What do you want to be remembered for?  As most people mature in their lives, they start to realize that their relationships, and specifically the people they have helped along the way, are more important than material things.” Read More.
  5. Know Yourself: Be authentic and lead in a way that is true to you. Own your unique talents and strengths, and empower those around you: “Authentic leadership is grounded in who you are not who you want to be or who you think you should be. This profoundly shapes how you act and what you accomplish.  Authentic leadership empowers you to draw on your strengths to bring out the best in others.” Read More.
  6. Speak Out: Unconscious bias is present, but ignoring it only perpetuates it. Take a stand and speak out: “How many times should it feel comfortable not to say something when you see unconscious bias? Never! Until recently, most of us were all consumed in catching a flight, running the household from afar, postponing our health checkups, being briefed from one meeting to the next, and fitting in a bite to eat as part of our work agenda.” Read More. 
  7. Listen: Never assume anything about anyone. Everyone has their own story that makes them who they are: To truly “LISTEN” is one of the most powerful words in this decade. In 2017 at NAWRB’s Annual Conference, Marcia Davies was the moderator for the Women’s Trade Associations Power Lunch, and through her questioning, “Listen” became my mantra on how to improve the narrative.” Read More.
  8. Be Present: Sharing your time is one of the most valuable gifts you can give. Do it with intention by truly being present. Staying in the present tense can be difficult, we have more distractions than ever, especially with technology, having so much of your world on your phone. The more you stay present the better you will get at it. It is excellent for your overall health and the quality of your relationships. In leadership, people follow leaders they trust and you cannot build trust without a good relationship. Read More.
  9. Prepare for the Future: Women with advanced skills today will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges. Learning advanced skills that matter today and beyond is critical in order to take advantage of the opportunities for wage growth and increased access to capital. Women with advanced skills of today will then be able to shape the future and be the future
  10. Lead by Example: Inclusion isn’t enough. Press for parity and strive for excellence in everything.

Stay tuned for other articles that will expound on each of these principles to assist women professionals in applying them to their individual goals.

About NDILC

The NDILC is dedicated to raising the number of women leaders and growing women’s employment and empowerment at all levels in the housing ecosystem. The Council, composed of senior executive women, works diligently toward gender equality and obtaining equal opportunity for women across America. To learn more about the NDILC, please visit www.NAWRB.com/NDILC/.

Creating A Female Coalition

Posted on by Valerie H. Little, Ed.D.
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14 May

The ability to connect with your clients is a crucial element in doing business. In today’s technologically advanced world, one must understand the language, execute the idea, and navigate the terrain of the competition. To do this, you must create your coalition of women that support your vision. This can be done by developing a network of individuals that are inspired, ignited, and invigorated by what you do or represent. It is the concept that what you offer will jumpstart a movement.

The idea of being an entrepreneur is a responsibility within itself. If one is to influence and navigate through the world of business. To disrupt the system, you must understand how to formulate a strategy, as well as how to execute the plan. What defines a leader? And will others follow your lead? The following principles will guide you on that path.

Continue reading →

The Truth about the Creative Drive

Posted on by Monica Kang
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10 Oct

You know when you lack sleep. You might feel a bit disoriented, crave sugar, and start noticing random details around the room instead of focusing on what you wanted to do. Unfortunately, as a full-time, bootstrapping female entrepreneur this scenario is far too familiar.

Being a great entrepreneur takes effort, dedication and persistence, and it comes at a cost. In our efforts to develop and grow, we often stretch ourselves too thin. When we say yes to everything, we utilize time that would have otherwise been used to explore projects and opportunities that are more in alignment with our personal visions. At the end of the day we’re left to figure out how to balance work with life and self-care.

Sometimes you can’t reach that goal even if you do everything to manage your resources. However, creativity holds the power to help achieve your milestones by marinating in them. How can you be more creative?
When we ask this question, we are often asking how to be creative with ease. We want the results without the hard work. At times, when we don’t see immediate results, we are instantly crushed. Even though we know certain things will take a bit more effort and dedication, when we are used to ordering food, cars, lodging and dry cleaning with a click of a button, we unconsciously want things more instantly and perfectly.

It’s the same when we are creating something. As entrepreneurs, we know that every form of action is an act of creation. Whether it’s creating a new product that will revolutionize your industry or creating a new advertisement to market your message in a new way, we are always wearing our creative hat. What makes a difference between a thriving creative leader and a mediocre one is how they decide to interpret and utilize their creative strengths.

Thriving creative leaders are not just great with ideation; they know how to find connections in unassuming places, recognize opportunities in the most devastating moments, and thrive with limited resources. They let their imagination take their vision to a whole new level because they see things with an abundance mindset with patient persistence.

And yes, at times that means they may be working late hours and lack sleep, but they are using every insight and experience to learn, connect and create. This is a really important reminder for entrepreneurs, and especially for female entrepreneurs who often lack the resources, support and funding opportunities male founders have and believe that is the reason for our failure or delay in success. I know this may sound contradictory but lack of resources can be the key source to your growth, as long as you have the abundance creative mindset.

There are tools and strategies to be creative but they only scratch the surface. You have to do the work to learn what makes you creative and, most importantly, why you want to be creative. Why do you want to do this business? Why should others care? You have to dig deeper and reflect to understand your creative drive. Without fully understanding why you have a drive to do what you do and why you love doing what you do, you are half blind in your journey. When you understand your drive, not only do you understand what causes your excitement, you also understand what pushes you away from mediocrity. When you understand your drive, you understand why every form of creation and action you are taking is making a difference in building the bigger goal you want to fulfill.

When was the last time that you truly pushed yourself and asked why you are doing what you do? Have you truly been giving your 100 percent? If you’re not, why not?

Stop using the need for perfect balance as an excuse to not fully dive into your potential. When you recognize every piece of your experience is a puzzle piece that will help fill the gaps then you stop worrying so much about
balancing; rather, you focus on how the pieces all fit together to reach the goal. In cooking, marrying the flavors and spices is important. Sometimes you need equal amounts of two ingredients, sometimes a little less of one and more of another, sometimes even replacing an ingredient with something different.

At times you may lack sleep, the funding or the network to reach where you want to go, but you shouldn’t see that as something that’s stopping you from reaching your dreams. Take a step back to see how it all connects and can help you get to the next goal. You may be surprised at what you find.

The truth is, you already have the creative drive. You just need the courage and patience to recognize the diamond in the rough.

Monica Kang
Founder and CEO
InnovatorsBox