Women in the LEAD

Women and Inner Beauty

I recently did some research on Women and Beauty as part of a project that I have been working on gain a better understanding of women---- and our love of beauty and for the role that  beauty plays in our feminine lives. I Googled Women and Beauty and found that most of the sites that I was led to showed women as objects of desire. I had to go further and add the word "inner beauty" before the answer that I was looking for was revealed. I guess this example just confirmed to me that we women are often seen as objects of desire in our culture, when in truth we carry inner wisdom and beauty that is so need ed in the world today

In my research I discovered an Indian website (www.sitagita.com). The home page of their site presented the below article. I enjoyed reading it the article and I enjoyed the cultural flavor that it contains!

From www.sitagita.com -Septemner 28,2006

There a lot more to beauty than the skilful application of make up. Eyeliner doesn't give you beautiful eyes. It merely enhances what you already have.

And a lot of what you have comes from within. The mind- body connection in beauty is amazing. Why do some people with good features and excellent skin still lose out to others who are not so perfect? It's their inner beauty that's lacking. External beauty is about features and make up. Inner beauty is about charm, appeal and the ability to captivate.

If you don't work on your inner beauty, you're likely to lag behind in a world where personality matters.

Remember, with no inner glow, no amount of make up can make you beautiful. An inner glow lets your real beauty shine through.

Isn't it time you paid attention to what really matters?

Did you know…

Frowns cause wrinkles, and add a stressed look to your face. It makes you a prickly creature.

Smiles light up your eyes and add a welcoming glow to your face. You blush a little with every genuine smile.

Your eyes reveal your inner thoughts. They're the windows to your soul. Discard toxic thoughts - they distort your features. Let the light within reflect in your eyes.

A calm mind depicts a serene beauty. Turbulent thoughts flaunt themselves in your face, posture and gesture. Attract people with your poise.

Self-esteem helps you stand straight (beautiful posture) and look people in the eye while you talk. You do not slouch or have shifty eyes or mumble. Confidence certainly makes for a more beautiful picture.

Happiness attracts people like nothing else can. Be happy and you'll find people flocking to you. Your positive aura acts like a magnet.

Depression and sorrow does diminish appeal. People will keep away. Just like your happiness enlivens them, your depression will pull them down.

Enjoy!

Maureen Simon

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. Gandhi

One of my all time favorite quotes is the above quote by Gandhi. He says it all in so few words. When we live the very change that we want to see in the world we allow this change to manifest. Each one of us is a living example. People see watch and learn from our actions daily.

• What message are you sending the world?
• What change do you want to see in the world today (be specific).
• To what end---what will the result of these changes be?
• What specific action, thought or meditation are you willing to commit to—now?

Again the time is now. Be self aware and be willing to be responsible for what you know to be true! This commitment can bare great fruit!!

Maureen Simon

Our Sisters in Iraq Need Our Support

This summer I had the opportunity of spending some time with two amazing women from Afghanistan.

They remain close to my heart. Both women have dedicated their lives to improving the rights and potential for women in Afghanistan. October 7^th marks the 5^th anniversary of the beginning of “Operation Enduring Freedom” The US”s invasion in Iraq. The below article will give you an update on how things stand today. Women continue to educate women, set up support groups and search the globe for computers and content for women’s study programs that they are designing. They are open to your help. Let me know if you have a way that you would like to support them.

KABUL, 15 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - A weak judiciary, a lack of law enforcement and widespread discriminatory practices against women are fuelling a rise in honor killings in Afghanistan, officials from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said on Friday….

So-called honor killings, which rights activists say have become increasingly common in Afghanistan, are murders of women or girls who are believed to have brought shame on the family name. They are usually carried out by male family members, or sometimes by contractors who are paid to carry out the killing and occasionally by children too young to face the law.

The killings are commonly carried out on women and girls refusing to enter into an arranged marriage or for having a relationship that the family considers to be inappropriate. Due to such pressures from families, many women are driven to suicide or flee their homes to escape an honor killing.

According to AIHRC, some 185 women and girls have been killed by family members so far this year, a significant increase on the previous year. But rights activists say that the real number is much higher as many such cases go unreported, particularly in rural areas.

Unfortunately, many women and girls continue to lose their lives due to this [honor killing] brutal crime. Sadly, it’s totally ingrained in [Afghan] culture, particularly in rural areas of the country, Soraya Sobrang, head f AIHRC, told IRIN.

A change in attitude on the part of the police and judiciary was also needed. "Regrettably, police forces in Afghanistaneither don't arrest such killers or they don’t treat them as murderers," Rahmatullah Weda, an information officer at AIHRC remarked.Afghanistan’s government, which says it is committed to human rights and ending discrimination against women, hopes to end the practice but admits there are challenges ahead.

….The Afghan rights watchdog has registered some 704 cases of violence against women, including 89 cases of forced marriages and 50 cases of self-immolation so far in 2006, again, a significant increase over last year, it said.

                                                Edited article from-- www.irinnews.org

What can you do ? Give this question some thought. You may be amazed that an answer comes....

Maureen Simon

WOMEN: Peter Drucker's Sage Advice

It has been nearly a year I think since Peter Drucker passed. Imagine all the people throughout the world that have been touched and influenced by the leadership and wisdom of Peter Drucker, the "godfather of modern management." I am one. There are two specific insights I learned from him that worked to shape and re-focus my being a leader at this time in history. It is rare that a week passes without calling upon them in some way. Particularly, with the world in such turmoil and need, his sage advice is most useful. Peter believed wholeheartedly in women leaders, demonstrating his belief by his actions.

Peter Drucker INSIGHT 1:
"One Sunday, I was reading Peter Drucker's The Post Capitalist Society to renew my perspective on the changing world. I was moved by one of his messages about knowledge. It helped me recognize and use the knowledge in my "toolbox" for problem-solving:

'Most of us, (perhaps all of us) know many times more than we put to use. We do not mobilize the multiple knowledge we possess. We do not use knowledges as part of one toolbox.'

Peter Drucker goes on to point out that most of us tend to classify what we know into specialized areas of knowledge, instead of applying the strengths of all our knowledge to different problems---looking at the problems we face and asking, 'What do I know, what have I learned, that I might apply to this task?'" *

Peter Drucker INSIGHT 2:
Another time, I was listening to Peter Drucker at one of the conferences put on by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management (now Leader to Leader Institute). I remember one piece of advice he gave. Make your contribution. Everything else is a diversion. This insight has helped me in decision-making and in evaluating where I spend my time and energy.

I had the honor of meeting Peter Drucker on his 90th birthday.  I cherish this meeting and his enduring influences on my leadership and my life. Thanks, Peter, for showing up on my path.

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center 
Home of Women in the Lead

* Excerpt from my first book, Breakthrough!

Sweden: Ending Oil Dependence, Women Leaders and the Ecology

For years I have been fascinated and focused  on a thought that oftens runs through my mind….if women held equal power in the leadership of the world—how different world the world look? This fascination has been the focal point of my reading, talks I give and it plays a major role in the 1:1 sessions that I hold daily with women in leadership positions from around the world. I have recently begun to look more at closely at issues in the world where women have had a major impact in leadership. To make clear case regarding women’s impact and capability we need good examples. I welcome yours.

Sweden is a country that has encouraged women to participate in national politics as early as the’80’s. They have been instrumental in ensuring advanced childcare services for working women. My friends from Sweden have said that their husbands/partners are great contributors in the care of children and in participating in the running of the house…interesting!

Recently, an article in The Ecologist (May 2006), was brought to my attention. That mentioned that last year was Sweden’s petroleum reserves dried up and that Sweden is now determined to be the world’s first oil-free country. The article went on to say, “To end their dependence on oil by 2020 Sweden plans to boost investment in alternative fuel research and development, offer financial incentives to suppliers of bio fuels, tax breaks for households that convert from oil to renewable energy, and lure drivers into alternative vehicles with the promise of free parking in some cities.”

I can not attest to the fact that women are at the helm of these policies but knowing the ratio of women in political leadership in Sweden I must say ---that my first thought was that the new proposed policy sounded as though it has feminine visioning behind it. Women have a natural ability to see and care for the whole and hold concern for the children and the future. These traits are in the nature of the feminine.

Please let me know if you are aware of any successful high impact projects where women are at the helm ---that are leading the world or about to make a major contribution to the world. Look around take inventory. Women often lead in a unique way. It is important that our successes be noticed and built on. Let me know if you have a successful project led by women in mind. There are many!

Thanks!

Maureen Simon

Leadership Wholeness

In one's lifetime, a few people step onto your path that leave enduring influences. For me, Francis Hesselbein is one of those very special role models. In her recent article she shares her sage advice about Seeing Life Whole during this times when our lives are so filled. She is a woman, who always has time for living, caring, sharing with others and for being an exemplary leader. Below is an excerpt from her article.

"...seeing things whole is not just the imperative of business, government, and social sector leaders; the overarching, overriding imperative of seeing things whole rests with you and me. Seeing our lives whole is an even greater challenge than seeing our world of work whole.

How many times do we hear and talk about work-life balance, finding the delicate balance of family, friends, the people we love and who love us, and the colleagues who share our passion for the mission of the enterprise we lead and help lead? And then there's that other, further dimension, where we try to make a difference, work to change lives in the organizations we choose to serve, and volunteer in community efforts to move beyond the walls and build the healthy, inclusive community that cares about all of its people.

Add rock-climbing, tennis, 20 laps around the pool, running through Central Park at dawn, and we carry a big basket. How do we balance our lives in this miraculous wholeness with rich and varied dimensions of family, friends, colleagues, careers, service, physical and psychic energy, and spiritual and intellectual calling?

Read Frances Hesselbein's Seeing Life Whole -  entire article.

Frances Hesselbein is editor-in-chief of Leader to Leader, chairman of the board of governors of the Leader to Leader Institute, and former chief executive of Girl Scouts of the USA. She is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Visit Women in the LEAD at the Global Dialogue Center

Debbe Kennedy

China Goes Green- Who Are the World Leaders

I was recently reading an article in a San Francisco Bay Area publication- Open Exchange entitled, “

China Builds a Green Manhattan”. The article explained that the city would be the worlds largest green city and will be developed by London, England’s’- Urban Design Corporation- Arup. The article went on to say:

“At three quarters the size of Manhattan and located  on the third largest island in China at the mouth of  Yangtse River , (the city ) Dongtan is expected to attract a wide range of commercial and leisure investments. Ecologically sensitive design will be a key element in the master plan…”

When I read this I was struck by the fact that I had always grown up with the impression that the US

was the worlds leader in everything. Maybe I acquired this belief because I was raised in an immigrant family and Americawas so grand, so open and to my parents they believed that anything was possible in America. In recent years my eyes have been opened ---a great deal! I am noticing European policy decisions that are far more sensitive to the people of limited incomes and of the environment. The policies and laws that I am following here in the US are an embarrassment to me on the world stage.

I guess my final thought is—there is plenty to do –plenty to contribute. Greatness is across the globe. The time is now to participate in what ever way works best for you.

Maureen Simon

If The World Only Knew- Women Have All It Takes To Save the World

Over the past few years I have been noticing the amazing gifts that women hold but often keep modestly to themselves. I often speak and write about his topic. Recently I have been thinking about how different the world would be if women spoke up. Would world hunger be as rampant? Would the children be fed? Would we be engaged globally in so many wars, or would women look to find other ways to find equity and peace? How would we treat the environment—the children’s playground and land of their future?

I have also been looking at how complex the world has become; endless wars, excessive personal independence and self- focus and an overall lack of concern for the environment. I have come to realize that so many of our wars are not actually based on religious difference but are based on the drive for power, resources and identity.  I have been evaluating specifically how the world would be different if we, as women stepped forth owned and valued our unique gifts and actually stepped out and fully used them to contribute to the state of our world today and to collectively to make tangible change in the world.

When I think about the natural talents women possess such as:  natural relationship building, clear communication, direct access to our intuition and emotions –ours and others, care for the whole (whole-child, whole- society, and whole- world) it becomes clear that these talents and gifts are the exact things that are needed in the world today. When I think about our natural ability to see the whole –and to have a clear sense for the overview and of our natural sense for and often craving for equity and fairness I can not help but stop and think where are the Women?

Where are you?

What natural gifts and talents do you as women hold and how can you now bring them forth in the world?

What is your desired out come or area of contribution?

What is your ideal picture for the world?

It is all possible. Take one small step. Own you gifts!!!!

Maureen Simon

It’s Right to Be Wrong

“Start being wrong and suddenly anything is possible.  You’re no longer trying to be infallible.  You’re in the unknown.  There’s no way of knowing what can happen, but there’s more chance of it being amazing than if you try to be right.  Of course, being wrong is a risk.”

-Paul Arden author of It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be

What would the world look like if we all stopped trying to be infallible?  What if our leaders admitted their greatest mistakes?  What if we ourselves caught words, actions, defenses, and attitudes of righteousness, superiority and of infallibility?  Try doing this tomorrow, notice your defenses and more importantly notice why, in the moment you are feeling a need for this defense.  As Paul suggests in his quote there is no way of knowing when we are in the unknown.  But I have personally experienced some of my greatest learning in this place he calls the unknown.

What is the risk you run when you are wrong? 

What is the greatest opportunity?

Is there anything that you can learn from being fallible?

Maureen Simon

Women Have A great Gift: The Ability To Lead From With In

Recently I and a close colleague, Loraine Magda, sat to write our thoughts and beliefs regarding women’s natural ability to lead. The full article is available upon request. Below are the opening paragraphs. Let me know your thoughts on the premise.

Women are now being faced with the necessity to provide leadership in the world as part of the swing from patriarchal leadership to a new synthesized form of leadership that blends the best of masculine and feminine attributes. Leading from within means that we take action in alignment with the clear, compassionate wisdom of our intuitive guidance as opposed to external voices, messages and authorities.

As the pendulum swings away from patriarchy, both men and women are being deeply affected.  Just like women, men are also challenged to reconnect with the compassionate and intuitive aspects of their nature. Compassion, intuition and wisdom are the Yin qualities of the Yin/Yang balance, whereas logical deduction and taking action are Yang qualities. Both kinds of qualities are essential to effective leadership. Our leadership qualities can be greatly strengthened because everyone has access to both qualities within. However, women are key to the process because they are natural leaders when it comes to intuition and Yin qualities and because women have already begun to cultivate both the Yin and Yang aspects of themselves.  This balance developed as a necessity when women began to enter the workforce in great numbers since the Seventies and initially had to fit into a male-oriented work culture. 

Therefore, women are equipped now, more than ever before, to bring about a balanced form of leadership, and to restore the essential qualities of wisdom and compassion back to their rightful place in the world. When we express the full range of human attributes, we are trusting and valuing all of who we are, not just a limited, albeit familiar, portion of ourselves.  This strength and balance is the foundation for true inner leadership.

Our challenge, as women, is to decide or act with strength and clarity on the wise, compassionate counsel of our intuition, and as we do so, to gain confidence and joy as we celebrate our strengths and skills in the world. The question is how can we now become strong, sensitive leaders that utilize the best of both worlds? What does it look like to be a leader who leads from the best of the masculine and the feminine and how can we realign our balance to truly lead from within?

Maureen Simon