If my math is correct, today marks the 104th International Women’s Day.
I’ve spent a good chunk of the morning thinking about how I’d like to honour women doing amazing things who inspire me. One recurring theme throughout my life has been how so many women are catty and bring each other down, unlike men who tend to be less threatened by their male peers and support them, particularly in business.
Coincidentally, this week, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting separately with several very bright, talented women entrepreneurs whose companies are helping to make life easier for others. All of them are working in web-based businesses, an area typically dominated by men.
Without prompting, one of the first things out of each of their mouths is that they didn’t have patience for cattiness. As another entrepreneur and someone who has never liked cliques, it was comforting that we were all on the same page. The amount of mutual respect, support and reciprocity that transpired in those discussions was incredible and beneficial for everyone.
In addition to hard work, there are several traits these women have in common. Perhaps that’s the secret of their success:
• Infectious passion
• Desire to help others
• Leadership without bossiness
• Ability to make informed decisions quickly and move forward
• Solicit feedback and use it to make their businesses better
This afternoon, I came across this video. It seemed to sum up a lot of what I’ve been feeling about the importance of women’s contributions to modern day society.
Except for one thing… Kronos, the company that produced the video, has only one women on its 12-person leadership team. Ugh!
What traits do you admire in successful women and why? How are you honouring women today?
