How to Learn Leadership Like a Woman

Thursday, April 20, 2017 3:18 PM by Betty Brennan in Inspiration and Client Success Stories


I recently got an email from a female client in a leadership position. She was meeting with another peer sharing stories about their work environment and being a female in leadership. They asked if I could recommend any podcasts on women in leadership/management.

I listen to a ton of podcasts. My staff jokes with me that I should have a white board in the shower to jot down thoughts because I tend to listen then. Emails are sent off during breakfast with all the new ideas. It is sometimes difficult to fit in the growing and learning part of our careers. When not in the shower or driving I often go to video. I once read that Bill Gates wanted to fill every moment possible with advancing his knowledge. He realized he had a moment in between getting out of his car and going into the house. He put a map of Africa on the garage wall. He could use that moment to learn the countries. You can find ways to fit learning in.

I don’t have a podcast specific to females in leadership to recommend. But I do have a few podcasts I go to regularly. I tend to search for new ones all the time. If I’m struggling with marketing I’ll go search for the best ones on marketing. I also like diversity in learning so I go all over the board –history, design, psychology, philosophy, etc. I suggest you just go to ITunes and search for the topic you are curious about. Here are two that I listen to often that was specific to my client’s request.

  • Entreleadership – geared towards business owners. They interview some of the best writers out there, everyone can learn from it.

  • HBR IdeaCast

Here are some others I enjoy.

There are many out there – here’s a list of the best. And here are some leadership oriented podcasts hosted by woman.

My advice to my client to garner more from a female perspective was to network with other woman leaders. I have a group of five woman I meet with about every two months. They are C-Level and business owners. Their advice is invaluable and they are often a resource at other times. The difference in meeting with woman versus male leaders is we often talk about relationships. Leadership is all about relationships. You may learn more from woman in this realm. Plus this group doesn’t hesitate to hold you accountable or point out when you might be making an error. That’s a powerful group. Go create a powerful woman group of your own.

I also joined a large group of high powered woman called Leadership IL. Wow! These woman are impressive. I am inspired just being around them. It’s a powerful network. Plus they are damn fun. I suggest you find a group like this too or create one.

Where do you learn about leadership?

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”  Estée Lauder, Estée Lauder companies

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