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Empowering Women: Brussels Workshops

 Imagine spending every day doing something you love!

  Dorothy Dalton and myself will help you kickstart start your journey or re-vitalise one you’ve already started.

Two part workshop to be held in Brussels, Belgium

CREATE YOUR DREAM! DESIGN YOUR LIFE

What will you get from this workshop?

* Permission to live your dreams
* A clear understanding of your message
* Efficient tools to craft and polish your message
*Practical and personalized advice to deliver your message
*A blueprint for your personal action plan

Learn in a supportive, positive and fun environment

Day 1 : Introduction : Friday October 15th 2010
Day 2 : Advanced : Friday January 21st 2011

Register for each workshop separately, but with advance registration for both , you will receive a complimentary personal coaching session from one of the facilitators.

Further details:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Looking forward to see you there!

Empathy Is The Invisible Hand

via www.youtube.com

Take 10 minutes of your day to stop, breath and watch this awesome animated presentation. It's  combining excellent input  with the latest studies on the evolution of civilizations, empathy and mirror neurons, and at the same time you can see, thanks to the talented cartoonist, the visual and simple representation of these complex ideas.

Brilliant! I've shared it with my eldest daughter, who is at home for the week end, and I was moved to see her moved, too (even if she added, at the end, it's all very nice "mais c'est utopique, Maman!").

It's not utopian, my dear girl, it's human, it's empathic, it's also suffering.

It also resonates with my own way of thinking, mixing intellectual concepts and comics. At last, I've found someone who thinks in the same crazy way as me!

• I already had this feeling a few years ago with The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard.

• Recently with the masterly lesson: Busting the Mehrabian Myth, by Martin Shovel and Martha Leyton, with great simplicity and fun.

• I also appreciated the cartoon corporate character with Johnny Bunko Carreer advices...by Dan Pink.

• Of course, there's also the Powerful Girl Effect Video 

• Marketing to women tips, short entertaining animated video in She-conomy Blog

• I loved the touching simplicity of For Our Daughters, about the Glass Ceiling by CatalystInc

• It all boils down to SIMPLICITY. Find the flower of simplicity inside of you :-) Here's an illustration of the Flower of Simplicity and how it all started for Yoshi Arima,

Have you noticed how essential messages cannot be expressed anymore by long speeches or power points, but need to adapt to the web format and to the new demands from Millennials, raised with video games? (I've written about The Future of Presentations, inspired by Jeanne Meister's work on the 2020 Workplace, and as I've just received her book, I will continue this other series, adapting it to women in the future workplace).

In Picture Yourself Doing a Presentation in 10 Years, we had a quick look at our crystal ball.

We found out that presentations were going to look:

• More simple
• Shorter
• More personal
• More Interactive
• Collaborative
• More Fun

Great ideas need creative and innovative ways to express them, so that they are captured by the largest and youngest audience, who shape our future.

I'm dreaming of leading empowerment trainings for young women from all cultures, using cartoons and animated videos. Designing great examples and role models for Gen Y girls and women, using comics strips!

I'm already integrating on a daily basis such tools in my coaching and training practice, via little "plastoy figurines". I guess the next step will be to play big and animate these figurines!

Meanwhile, enjoy watching the agile mind of a brilliant thinker, Jeremy Rifkin, unfolding magically in front of our mesmerized and childlike eyes...

Here is a summary in images (for those of you who don't care to click on the YouTube video and wait for it to upload...yes, I know, sometimes it's slow and we're impatient!)

If you're rather "left-brain wired", read Jeremy Rifkin's long article in The Huffington Post (no images, just 100% words guaranteed!)

Or read Jeremy Rifkin's new book 'The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis' (Tarcher/Penguin; January 2010)

All Humans are Soft-Wired with Mirror Neurons

We're NOT Soft-Wired for Aggression

 

What's Empathy?

Life is Fragile and Vulnerable

...and it's Tough to be Alive!

Empathy is not Utopia

We Are Homo Empathicus!

 

How Does Consciousness Change in History? The Fiction of The Nation

 

Oh, and I love this one!" Empathy is The Invisible hand"

Call me a dreamer,but I can feel that invisible hand wrapped around our planet, healing it by creativity, compassion and empathy!

 

"The Empathic Civilization is emerging. A younger generation is fast extending its empathic embrace beyond religious affiliations and national identification to include the whole of humanity and the vast project of life that envelops the Earth. But our rush to universal empathic connectivity is running up against a rapidly accelerating entropic juggernaut in the form of climate change. Can we reach biosphere consciousness and global empathy in time to avert planetary collapse?" Jeremy Rifkin

Will women and girls make this hand VISIBLE ?

Will women and girls start by reaching for one another's hand?

Imagine a sisterhood of women and girls holding hands around the world, bringing along men and boys, oh, what a wonderful world!

Get Ready for The Future: Open Leadership

Open: How Leaders Win by Letting Go

Today, Monday, May 24th , is the official launch date of Open Leadership, by Charlene Li.

Here is the introduction to the book. It includes a case study of how the American Red Cross was able to become more open and embrace social technologies — and in so doing, activated a distributed fundraising machine using primarily social media.

View more presentations from Charlene Li.

It’s a great overview of the book for people who want to get a quick look.

Why do I want to read it?

• Because of Charlene Li's style of Leadership : she's a role model and an Open Leader.

• Because of her clear and concise concepts, her Optimism and her Values: Trust and Sharing.

• Because of another book I recommend, The 2020 Workplace, by Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd, where Charlene Li is also quoted, in Chapter One Ten Forces Shaping The Future Workplace Now.

"How can companies improve collaboration and knowledge sharing to achieve improved business results? Increasingly they are creating groundswells, a social trend whereby people use technologies to get the things they need from another, rather than from traditional institutions."

Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.

Table of Contents -

Part I - The Upside of Giving Up Control

- Why Giving Up Control is Inevitable

- The Ten Elements of Openness

Part II - Crafting your Open Strategy

- Determining How Open You Will Bew

- Understanding and Measuring the Benefits of Being Open

- Structuring Openness with Sandbox Covenenants

Part III - Open Leadership: Redefining Relationships

- Open Leadership: Mind-sets and Traits

- Nurturing Open Leadership

- The Failure Imperative

- How Openness Transforms Organizations

Summary -

Great insightful and educational book. It shares real life how to's on the areas around openness, transparency, authenticity, and listening. Tackles tough questions such as failure, how to handle a curmudgeon, why your company can't be like Apple.

Real life case studies from the Red Cross, US Navy, President Obama, United Airlines, Dell, P&G, Johnson and Johnson, Comcast, SunTrust, Ford, Cisco, Zappos, Kaiser Permanente, HP, Netflix, Starbucks, Best Buy, Kodak, Bank of America, Marriott."

I wish I had done like Bret L. Simmons and asked Charlene Li :-)  for a copy of her book in advance, to review it.

He's written an excellent review in his blog, Positive Organizational Behavior.

My own conclusions and questions for YOU:

I believe Charlene Li will inspire a lot of Leaders to foster Open Leadership, by acting as one the best role models for GenY Women Leaders!

What could you do to start being an Open Leader and transform Yourself and your business or your Company?

Do you know around you other leaders who act like Open Leaders?

How do they achieve that?

What do they do, how do they behave?

What are their skills?

What are their values?

Who are they when they behave this way? What's their IDENTITY?

What's their Mission?

Hoping you will join the discussion and bring us stories and examples to inspire and help next Generation Women.

I'm Yours

Sunday post- Radiant Day- I'm beaming with happiness and wanted to share it with YOU!
I've got this song stuck in my head: I'm Yours , from Jason Mraz, and the lyrics are simply beautiful.

So I figured I would tweet them, and send a link to the You Tube Video. Then I asked myself: why not just simply post it on my blog, with the lyrics, so that I can look at it when I want, read the lines and dance along with you?

What does it all have to do with leadership and women?

Everything! It's about LOVE, it's about Empathy, it's about Choosing Joy in Your Life, Opening Yourself and Finding the Freedom to Express Your Essence.

It's about Open Leadership!

I'm not sure whether it would fit in a Harvard business Blog, but who cares?  :-) If you're reading my blog, you already know it's both professional and personal, non-conventional and irreverent!

So, enjoy your SUN DAY!

"Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but your so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back
Before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test
And nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more,
No more, it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music at the moment people dance and sing
Were just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So, I won't hesitate no more,

No more, it cannot wait I'm sure

There's no need to complicate our time is short

This is our fate

I'm yours

Scooch on over closer, dear
And I will nibble your ear

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more it cannot wait
I'm yours

well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la one big family
it's your god forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved

open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la happy family
it's our god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved

it's our god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved
listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la peaceful melodies
it's you god forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved"

Innovator Charlene Li Communicates her Vision with Passion

After another Spring break, ("le pont du mois de mai": "bridge" for long May week ends  in France...), I'm back  with an Inspiring  Role Model for Women Leaders.

Following up with my Women Speakers Series, here is another illustration for the Innovator Style of Leadership, with Charlene Li.

The corporate world would be such a better place if more leaders were to invent a new kind of leadership, an "innovative leadership", an open leadership, opening new possibilities, solutions and collaborations. We need more role models, especially for girls and women, to show us the way and inspire us to action. That's the reason why I'm writing this series, and collecting stories of remarquable women leaders, from different cultures, with different personal styles and values. We can't identify anymore with the stereotyped representation of the "LEADER" ( a WASP Superhero). We aspire for different models, reflecting the diversity of the world, in cultures, in genders, in classes, in skin colors, and ...in souls also.

Now, back to Charlene Li!

Typically, someone communicating with a strong preference for The Innovator dimension (from the SPM Spony Profiling Model), would be seen as:

"Prolific and creative brain-stormers who are attracted by abstract issues and intellectual challenges. Attached to freedom of expression, they feel comfortable in initiating original and unconventional projects."

There are many American women leaders who fit in The Innovator Style of Leadership and Communication. Just like the Persuader and the Pioneer styles, it makes perfect sense with the Anglo-Saxon cultural result and change orientation:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Pragmatic
• Informal style
• Openness for change

One of the most famous today is Charlene Li, and I want to make a special post about her and highlight her communication and leadership style.

Who is Charlene Li?   Who does she know?    What does she do?

I'm asking these 3 questions, because it's what Charlene stresses in her talk, and I found it original and fun to present her this way, as well!

Who are you? IDENTITY

Who do you know? RELATIONSHIPS

What do you do? ACTIVITIES

Who is Charlene Li?

Her Identity? You can find everything about her on her site: charleneli.com

She's the founder of Altimeter. Altimeter is " a strategy firm that provides clients with a pragmatic approach to using new technologies".

Three keywords here: Pragmatic, New and Technologies

Who does she know and who knows her?

" Charlene is frequently quoted by leading media channels such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, and The Associated Press. She has appeared on 60 Minutes, The McNeil NewsHour, ABC News, CNN, and CNBC.  As noted social technologist, Charlene has earned a vast following through her blogs, website, columns, articles, and keynotes." (from her website)

Her social networks could be illustrated by one of them, Twitter:

What does she do?

She "provides clients with a pragmatic approach to using new technologies"

She creates: she writes blogs and books (the last one is a must read "Open Leadership", I have ordered it and will write a post about it very soon)

... and she speaks at SX about The Future of Social Networks!

Why is she emblematic of the Innovative Leadership and communication style?

She was named one of the 12 most creative minds of 2008 by Fast Company, and one of the most influential women in technology 2009.

She's innovative in the way she talks:

• Simply

• With energy and passion

• Openly

• Fast paced

• Informally, dressed casually

She's innovative in what she says:

• Future oriented she takes us 5,10,15, 20 years from now!

• Visionary: "The Social network will be like air" "Open: how open leaders win by letting go"
  

• Planting new Ideas, Encouraging Change:  "The open network will be the new norm."
  

               "Leaders will engage at all levels, outside as well as inside the organization."

She's a role model for the next generation of girls and young women entrepreneurs and business owners and might also be an inspiration for women executives who aspire to be on the 21st century boards!

She's congruent : her style of communication conveys who she really is, how she's perceived as a leader, leading from the inside out, openly and pragmatically. She really is an open leader.

"If you truly want to get advantage of the social networks, you've got to get your own identity, inside your house, in order." Charlene Li.

If you truly want to be a leader, start by leading yourself, with your own style and create your own life!

Next, in Geronimo Leadership Women Series, the Networker, with Arianna Huffington