I'm fighting, the light inside of me, of course it's all I see when I look out, when I look in the mirror where it's back. You're listening to Women Infused Radio, where women in the marketplace connect with purpose and spirit, where the conversation covers all things women, business, and fascinating fame. And now, your host, Christy Lynn Olson. Hello, and welcome to Episode 7 of Women Infused Podcast Radio.
Today's episode is all about how to merge and engage, becoming a leader of change for the next generation. If this is your first time listening, I want to thank you for tuning in, and I invite you to join me over on my Facebook page, Christy Lynn Olson, and help lead the conversation with the Women Infused community. Also, I'd love for you to show me some love if you have enjoyed these podcasts so far. Take a few minutes and post a review on iTunes for me.
Just go to the iTunes store, search for Women Infused Podcast, and click on Ratings and Review on my show page, the lives we touch by spreading the word all around the world. So I'm really excited about today's show. I recently moved and was going through old files, and I found a transcript from a call series I did back in 2011, along with an email that I sent out to all the class participants at the time. What struck me was that even though it was over five years ago when I wrote it, nothing seems to have really changed in the world, yet everything has changed.
Let me read to you what I wrote back then. In the past few years, we have all heard and seen some phenomenal shifts and changes across the world, both economically and politically. For some, many of these changes have been challenging, to say the least, but I also believe that many of the shifts have occurred as a reminder of how small the world really is, and how connected we truly are as we all just long for our voices to be heard and all of our lives to matter. Is that crazy prophetic or what?
With so many things happening in the world this year, it could be 2011 or 2016, or any year in between, but we are in yet another shift, and that is why I felt compelled to revisit this message that I called Emerge and Engage, Becoming a Woman of Influence as a Leader of Change for the Next Generation. Back then, and again now this past year, so many thoughts have crossed my mind, as I set the intention to realign my business and my life, reaffirm my core values and beliefs as a woman of purpose, and take the next step into what I believe is my highest calling, and I want to challenge you to do the same. I believe it was, and still is, time for a new paradigm shift for all women of faith in the marketplace, so that they can find their voice, their value, and the beautiful power of their vision and calling as spiritual women taking back territory that may have been lost, and influencing their communities in ways we have yet to fully realize. Becoming a leader of change for the next generation of women is going to have to look different than anything we've done in the past, yet I think women are uniquely suited at this point in history to influence nations because of what we intuitively know and our desire to build relationships rather than tear them down.
We were designed to be relational and to be connected, and we will have to show the world exactly what that looks like. Here are a few ways that I think it's going to have to look. We're going to have to learn to weave our businesses and life with compassion, cooperation, and a tenacity that transforms lives by the light and solutions we can shine on devastating situations. We will need a new definition of what spirit-led feminine power is, leadership, and success, and what it looks like as we attempt to bring back balance to the world by working together with men, not against men, and also with women, not against women, because frankly I've had just as many bad experiences with women trying to compete against each other.
And we will have to begin to honestly define and align with our values as women of substance and engage in social transformation one person at a time, no woman left behind. We will have to connect to a fresh spirit of collaboration and community as we learn to work together, not just as individuals, but as a unified presence in the world. As influential leaders of change for the next generation, we need to understand that in a culture that's tried to convince us of the lie that it's all about us, it's really not about us, it's about those we are here to serve as we use our unique gifts, strengths, and talents to leave a legacy for the next generation, not to leave a mess of confusion. Some of what I want to share with you may be things that you already know or even do, but I hope to bring a new voice and a new light to how we as women interact in our professional and personal lives as we create new definitions of power, leadership, and success for generations to come.
Women around the world are already transforming the definition of power, leadership, and success. They are building businesses and starting movements that focus on compassion, cooperation, and perseverance. They are resolved to doing things differently in a way that not only transforms their world, but in a way that will transform the world as they set an example for young men and women everywhere. Our world is so out of balance economically and politically, mostly due to a business paradigm, I think, of having power over others and excessive greed.
It's time to encourage each other to step up, speak out, but more importantly, to embrace the more feminine qualities and skills that come so naturally to many women and not back away from the challenge. The nurturing, the caring, the compassion we have for others, and the need for connectedness and community. I am not anti-man. In full disclosure, I am married to a man, and I have a son, and I have a male dog.
I am surrounded by men and spent most of my corporate years working in male-dominated environments. What I am talking about here is the need to balance both the feminine and the masculine qualities of leadership and ways of doing business so that we are operating out of our full strength as women, not being ashamed of our more nurturing and emotional sides or suppressing it to fit in, and also embracing our more bold and powerful side, but also knowing when to be strategic and create structures and order that will allow for growth and development. When women are fully released to operate in their unique gifts, we see rapid change. Women create cooperative networks of connection.
We enjoy collaborating with each other rather than competing, and we value a sense of community. Women from around the world are beginning to rise up and make a difference within their circle of influence, regardless of their status. That's really where all the great movements start. It goes from a simple thought or idea, then an idea shared in a conversation.
After that, it blossoms into a community of what I call midwives assisting a birth. Women birth more than babies. We birth creativity, we birth change, and we birth feature leaders simply by showing up and being present and a part of the process. Women of influence strive to serve the greater good whenever faced with a difficult situation.
They strive to bring out the best of other people. Women who are conscious of changing the world for the better are forward thinkers. They think about how it will affect their children and generations to come. They see the value of education, and we know from World Bank studies that investing in the education of women and girls is the best investment that can be made on a global level because women will invest back into their families and their communities.
Microfinance loans around the world are a great example of how women are taking back their freedom from sexual violence, trafficking, and servanthood status. Organizations such as Kiva, World Encounters, which is a faith-based organization, World Vision, the A21 Campaign, just to name a few. Feel free to Google those names, look them up if you want to connect somehow. I want to give you a couple of resources here that you can maybe use to challenge yourself.
One of the best books I have ever read is called Half the Sky, Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. It's written by Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Cheryl Wooden. They are both a husband and wife journalist team for the New York Times. In the book, they talk about the oppression of girls in the developing world and how little help can make a huge difference.
There are some phenomenal stories that you just, to be honest, I didn't know a lot of those things were happening around the world. I knew some of it, but after reading this book, first I was angry, and then I felt frustrated, then I felt helpless, but then you go past that stage of helplessness, and you just think, okay, what's one thing I can do to make a difference? And that's what that book kind of taught me. It gave me a lot of resources that told me that little things we do have huge impact and can make a huge change upon the world.
Now, I talked about microfinance loans earlier. A lot of these loans, and they mentioned it in the book a little bit, but they're allowing women to make a difference in their lives, in the lives of their children, and even their spouses in the communities that they live in. This is just another way that we as entrepreneurial and businesswomen in the marketplace in general can help. But first, we need to help ourselves, and I really believe that.
And I don't mean to sound selfish, but what I mean is if we can create profitable and successful businesses that can change our worlds, become mentors for businesswomen and girls, and that in turn would allow us to go out together and change the world in a more powerful and empowered way. Now, that's social transformation, and it begins by investing in ourselves first, and then one woman at a time as we build a stronger community of free women. Women who are free to live, work, and sit at the table where critical decisions are made that will change the course of a generation of leaders. Women who are free to speak out against injustice no longer remain silent and employ godly strategies that will empower a generation for change.
And the goal has to be no woman left behind, because we are all linked together in this. If you're not familiar with TED or TED Talks, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, it's a global set of conferences owned by the private nonprofit called the Zappley Foundation, and it's formed just to disseminate ideas worth spreading. That's kind of their tagline. You can go to TED.com, T-E-D.
If you haven't heard of this, you owe it to yourself to get online and watch some of their TEDx conferences for women as well. It's an incredible pool of inspiring thought leaders reshaping how we see the world. In a world of complex technology, women know the value of integrating high touch along with technology. Again, it's all about balance.
Women entrepreneurs and leaders are finding that we need a balance of technology and interpersonal relationship building to create a strong foundation and success in our businesses. If you want to know more about a powerhouse woman, in my opinion, who is leading the way by disrupting the world of technology and relationship building, go visit my friend Lisa Ducat at her Heartbeat PR, and brand is a branding firm of global technology and global media platforms that will be game changers for getting your message out. Yes, there are many people out there that are only using technology as an income producer, but women are creating so much more by also combining building personal relationships and networks the old-fashioned way. It builds a much more prosperous, sustainable, and successful business built on human capital and relationships.
Now, we may initially meet on social media, and I have met an incredible amount of women on social media, but ultimately, the best joint ventures that I've ever had in ideas have come from when we actually personally collaborate either at events or we actually finally meet in person or we pick up the phone and we call each other. Women still like to connect and interact with each other face-to-face. I really believe that. It helps speed up the know, like, and trust factor.
And we need both to be successful. We can't be afraid of technology, especially when embracing the next generation. The best skill I've learned in the past 15 years is my ability to text, which has allowed me more frequent communication with the men in my life. But also, we can't rely on it to solve all of our problems.
We are still human beings who crave more. So what does creating change as a woman of influence look like? So many women leaders feel isolated and alone on their journey. At least, I know I have.
Or some maybe feel that leadership is only for celebrities. We need to get over that fear or insecurity. We are all leaders, and we lead those in our own circle of influence. Some of you are called to a larger, perhaps international circle of influence.
And some of you are called to influence your family members or people you work with on a daily basis. No calling is greater than the other, but you need to step up and own it and place a high value on it. Embrace it as uniquely yours. Many of you listening are entrepreneurs, so that is the context of what I will be addressing here.
But it does apply to anyone else in leadership. Being open, vulnerable, and authentic is how we interact and do business with each other, and it has to be a value that we embrace. There were times when I felt so ineffective and less successful because I thought I was the only one struggling with building a business or finding the right networks to connect with. I needed to reach out and hire coaches or mentors to come alongside me and help me realize what was possible for myself and for my business.
The best mentors and coaches I have had have been the ones who aren't intimidated by getting personal when appropriate and sharing their stories of struggle along with their strategies for success with me. They operate from a place of openness, trust, and cooperation. Also, they have guided me with wisdom, love, and truth, and give gentle course correction when invited. When we take the time to listen, become personal and authentic in our leadership, we are setting a new standard for doing business as women of influence.
We take the time to listen, to validate, to work collaboratively on a solution that honors, heals, shows our strengths, and welcomes everyone to the table. It can no longer be a cookie-cutter approach to doing business or for building relationships. Women leaders and influencers are not afraid to look inside themselves and begin an inner journey of self-reflection. It's a way to dig deeper and to become fully grounded so that we can set the example of what a healed and whole woman can look like.
When a woman can break through her own issues that may still be lingering in both spiritual, relational, and psychological arenas, she can go out into the world then with a stronger vision and mission. It's not about perfection, but it is about progress. Watch for my next podcast episode where I want to talk more about being fabulous and flawed. It's one of my favorite subjects.
And how women are unstoppable when they finally connect body, soul, spirit, and purpose together because it's all about moving forward, healed, and whole as a woman of God. When a woman takes the time to discover who she is and what role she is on this earth to play, she is better equipped to achieve her goals, to excel at what she does, and more importantly, to guide others in a way of being successful at work and in the world. I believe she's been healed and whole, equipped and engaged in her life, and as well as the lives of those that she influences. So let's dig a little deeper and explore what needs to happen for women around the world to be able to step up and embrace their position as a leader or an expert in their field and what I call this new paradigm shift.
Again, it's really not new, but it is what I see reflected in the women who are truly impacting their families, their communities, and their world for change. Women and men will need to equally embrace the feminine and masculine characteristics and qualities of a successful leader. I'm talking about feminine and masculine skills and values used in balance to create transformation as our work and life environments embrace elements of inclusiveness, emotional connectedness, cooperation, and the more intuitive or spirit-led approach to problem solving. Remember, we were created to be image-bearers of God, both the male and the female image.
I'm not talking about gender here. I'm talking about the image we were created in, in God. I firmly believe that it will be the collective power of faithful men and women who believe in something bigger than themselves that will finally create social transformation that the world so desperately needs. Now, how women of influence lead different.
That's a topic that I want to talk about. As entrepreneurial women, many of us learn our leadership skills from the school of hard knocks. When a challenge arises in our work or home life, we learn to see it as an opportunity for growth rather than just another problem to fix. We explore the root of the problem and then try and come up with creative ways to solve things long-term and anticipate the consequences of how it will affect our relationships.
That is a paradigm shift for some. It goes back to taking the time to look inward, becoming healed and whole. You're going to hear me say that a lot. To reveal our authentic self that God created with our unique DNA, which I call divine natural abilities, which allows us to feel free to express our vulnerabilities, search for solutions, and risk trying new things in a creative and holistic approach.
Generally, I think allowing for nurturing growth is more of a natural feminine tendency or quality as opposed to a more masculine model to fix the problem or to impose order and then move on to the next problem. Great examples of this are when a woman generally shares a problem with her spouse, his first tendency is to fix what's broken. That's what he's designed for. But sometimes all she really wants is to verbally process the experience and work out a variety of options and solutions.
Do I have any verbal processors out there? I think a lot of you are. I know I am. I think that's why I like podcasting so much because it gives me a chance to verbally express and process all those ideas and inspirations circling through my head.
Now, at times, learning through a crisis can be risky and daunting, but nevertheless, that's how some important skills and lessons are learned. Did you know that the Chinese symbol of crisis means both challenge and opportunity? I love the fact that their language twists those two words together, or those two concepts together. We can so often use our weaknesses as our teachers as we develop and nurture our strengths.
Remember, challenge and opportunity. As a leader of change, we need to shift our thinking a bit and approach challenges with curiosity and boldness rather than fear. Fear cannot exist along with the boldness to move forward. You have to choose one or the other.
So to embody collaboration rather than competition is what we need to do. And this feminine model of leadership is a more holistic approach that identifies how both the one and the many will be affected. It will engage a more collective power, I think, to overcome obstacles, and it's more like learn as you go, a more nonlinear approach to leading. It allows for more creative and resourceful approaches to problem solving.
I found a few great global examples of this approach in action. One is a book called Mighty Be Our Powers, How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. It's by Lema Gowey. She was the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped organize and lead the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, which was a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat down in a public protest, confronting Liberia's ruthless president and rebel warlords, and even held a sex strike.
With an army of women, she helped lead her nation to peace. She has two powerful stories to tell, one of her own life's transformation and one of the untapped potential of girls around the world called Can We Transform the World by Unlocking the Greatness of Girls? I'll put the link to that book in the show notes. There is also a PBS documentary called Women, War, and Peace.
It's well worth watching. It's a five-part series, and one of the episodes that I found particularly interesting was also about Liberia called Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Another one is about a woman in Afghanistan, and all of them are stories of women who are in conflict zones. I'll put a link in the show notes, but it's at pbs.org, and you can look up, search Women, War, and Peace.
A feminine presence usually ushers in a calm authority that can nurture freedom and possibilities. Not always, but that's what the goal is here. It does not call attention to itself by saying, follow me, I have all the answers, but it invites participation, and a come-follow-me attitude that says, hey, let's find this answer together. It is the principle of inviting others to follow their example in places of high value in collaboration, compassion, and cooperation.
I think it inherently supports and nurtures other women in mastering new skills and developing new strengths. Historically, women have been positioned to compete for men, jobs, and resources. And sadly, women many times have not learned how to cover each other's backs in the workplace. I hate to say it, but some of the worst experiences I've had in corporate America and in non-profit arenas have been dealing with power struggles and insecurities of other women.
When women create environments to work together to develop themselves and each other and collaborate in joint ventures, not always recreating the wheel, so to speak, but to support each other in their combined power and voice, can accomplish more positive social change than any other method, in my opinion. And this is just one of the things that I love about this new wave of entrepreneurship that I've seen. As we learn to collaborate and not become an island to ourselves or compete with each other, and by that I mean to win above all costs, we advance and emerge so much quicker and more fulfilled emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Mutually respectful and connected relationships are key.
If you have ever taken the Clifton Strength Finder assessment, one of the unique strengths is connectedness. Now, this happens to be one of my top five signature strengths, and it plays out more women collectively. Connectedness is foundational in women who lead with influence. Have you ever heard of a CAT scan?
There are actually CAT scan studies that confirm this value of connectedness, revealing that many parts of a woman's brain light up when a researcher would ask her a question, while the same question lights up one or very few areas of a man's brain. Now, that's not a negative, it's just a difference. Let me tell you why. Because men, they found, tend to focus narrowly on the question, while women make so many connections around it.
Now, I find that to be fascinating because it explains so much if you've ever watched a man struggle to follow a conversation full of women talking. Physiologically, the female nervous system contains a larger group of nerve fibers that connects the left and the right hemispheres of the brain. Now, this difference in anatomy makes women faster at transferring data between the computational, verbal left brain, and the intuitive visual right brain. As a rule, men tend to rely more heavily on the left brain, and women more heavily on the right brain.
Now, I find that fascinating because it just goes to show that women are truly in their right mind most of the time. Helen Fisher, who is an anthropologist, wrote, Women integrate more details faster and arrange these bits of data in more complex patterns. As they make decisions, women tend to weigh more variables, consider more options, and see a wider array of possible solutions to the problem. Women tend to think in webs of factors, not straight lines.
Now, does that make sense? Think of how you create your ideas, programs, or services. Do you write them out in a linear fashion, or do you draw them creatively? When I'm designing my programs or concepts, I often need a sheet of blank paper, because I tend to draw out circles of all the components, and then I connect them together like a wheel or a web.
I usually have my central idea in the middle, but then I have all these random thoughts that I have to get on paper, and then I start looking at them and seeing how they're actually connected, if at all. You know, and I've always done that, even before I read this research, I have another friend who actually creates what she calls spider webs. Very interesting to think about that. Feminine reasoning is like web thinking.
Web thinking equals holistic thinking. So think of your ideas as fun, silk, valuable, creative, and intricate. To tie this all together today, which may seem like a very large random web to some of you listening right now, let me just say this. A new paradigm for women leaders is to go on a journey of self-discovery, to allow ourselves to become vulnerable, risk failure, and embrace learning as we go, and adapt in at every step.
When we adapt without abandoning our authentic selves, and hold fast to our values, we gain insight and sharpen our skills. The book of Revelation chapter 13, verse 10 in the Message Bible reminds us that God's holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground, stand your ground, and hold fast to your values and dreams. When you encounter a setback, readjust and find other roads that take you in the same direction as you advance to achieve your goals. Or use wisdom and course correct to embrace a new and better vision or dream for yourself.
We need to inspire, encourage, and support the women around us as we set the example for collaboration and joint ventures. We can reach so many more and have a greater impact on the world together. Remember, it's not about you. It's about those you who are here to serve as a leader of influence and change.
It's a quiet strength, or what I like to call a beautiful power, as opposed to an arrogant, self-centered, loud approach to business and community. Feminine leadership principles are not to be dismissed as the weaker sex, but are a more subtle yet powerful form of strength, resilience, and tenacity that we can bring to the table. It brings balance to the table, it nurtures the collaborative spirit, and it allows us to dream bigger, leave a legacy for the next generation, and grow spiritually. So get out there and lead with your beautiful, powerful self.
Choose to not just be a part of the conversation, but to lead the conversation. And always remember that alone, you are significant, but together, we are truly amazing. This is Sin Women Infused Radio, connecting women around the globe with purpose and spirit, and we want to connect with you. Get your free gift, unveiled voices, six things you need to do to define your value, voice, and vision.
For more information on the free gift, and links to join the conversation on social media, visit us at kristianolson.com. This is all I see when I look around, when I look in the mirror, where is that candle in the night? Can someone get me? Who is that?
Who is that? Who is that? And I'm here? Fighting the light inside of me.
The ghost is all I see when I look around, when I look in the mirror, where is that candle in the night? Can someone get me? Who is that? Who is that?
And I'm here?