How leadership training is failing new women leaders and what to do about it
For the past 15 years, I’ve worked in corporate – in the power industry – and have experienced first-hand many of the challenges that women face in the workplace.
About 6 years ago, the challenges intensified. I had recently transitioned into a new leadership role, at the same time as transitioning into new roles in my personal life (getting married and becoming a mom to two adorable kids), and I felt overwhelmed with feelings of stress and self-doubt. It was to the point where I was consumed by work (and all the negative emotions that came with it at the time) and found myself stressing about it in the evenings, on weekends, and even for the entirety of my vacations! It was not a fun time.
Up to that point, I had already gone through many leadership trainings, including:
an undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of Calgary;
a Management Extension Certificate from Mount Royal University; and
three in-depth leadership development programs at various employers.
I learned so much from these courses and trainings but when I went to put it into practice, it just wasn’t “working”. All the leadership training I had received didn’t help me to navigate the unique and challenging situations I was facing. In fact, it often made me feel more frustrated as I couldn’t figure out how to apply what I was learning to solve my problems. Something was missing.
I made it my mission figure out how to overcome these challenges and be a more confident, effective, and happier leader. It wasn’t until I started to invest my own time and money into books, courses, and coaching that everything changed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I binged all the leadership and personal development books that I could get my hands on (over 50 in 2021 alone!). I registered for what turned out to be a life-changing 6-week Positive Intelligence group program that completely transformed my mindset. I invested in an Executive Coaching Certification which opened up my eyes to the power of coaching and mentorship.
I realized that the way we’re training and developing new and emerging women leaders is just not cutting it. The leadership programs that are being offered in schools and workplaces today are not helping women lead themselves or others with confidence and ease. Instead, women leaders are feeling more and more stressed and overwhelmed than ever before (McKinsey & Co, 2022).
Don’t get me wrong, the leadership skills that I’ve been taught along the way are hugely important. Topics such as “delegating well” or “leading with empathy” or “enabling others” or “inspiring a shared vision” are all key skills that a leader needs. But I realized that without mastering the foundations of self-leadership first, learning about how to lead others is not entirely useful or practical.
It became clear to me that before we can effectively lead others, without getting overwhelmed by feelings of stress and self-doubt, we need to grow our leadership power and master self-leadership. To me, this meant:
Learning how to say “no” and set better boundaries.
Getting clarity on my mission and vision.
Aligning with my core values.
Learning how to better manage my time and energy and focus more on what really matters.
Overcoming the limiting beliefs that were holding me back.
Learning how to connect and communicate with more authenticity and confidence.
I realized that these are the skills we should be developing in all new and emerging women leaders. I believe that by helping women grow their leadership power by mastering self-leadership first and foremost, we can begin to close the leadership gap from the middle (of the corporate ladder).
This is why I started Repowered Leadership. I don’t want other women to experience the same feelings of stress and overwhelm that I experienced. I want them to learn the skills that helped me finally feel empowered and equipped to lead and succeed (but with a fraction of the time and cost that I’ve invested!). I want them to feel empowered to reach higher and achieve more success (whatever that looks like to them), with less stress.
To learn more about my 1:1 coaching and group coaching programs, email me at megan@repoweredleadership.com or find me on Instagram @repoweredleadership.
