22 Ideas Female Leaders Can Use This Year, To Become The Best Version Of Themselves

We all want to be better this year. Here is a great list to start with...

It is part of human nature to want to grow and improve. In some respect, regardless of our formal role, all of us are leaders.

Here are 22 ideas from successful female leaders that you can use to help you improve your leadership skills.

Adapt - change is inevitable

“Do what you’re doing until it doesn’t work anymore, and then do something else.” This applies in work and life in so many situations. In tech companies, there’s no single product, technology, or operational system that lasts forever. Good businesses and teams adapt to what’s current. Rather than fearing change, it’s best to accept the fact that change is inevitable — it’s not a sign of failure, but a sign of progress. This very much applies to the personal journey as well. Do what you’re doing until it isn’t working for you, and then do something else. This is how we grow. - Kieran Snyder

Build more doors!

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. I’m naturally an introvert, so networking doesn’t come easily to me. Yet, when I started business school, I had to network all the time, much more than I had done in the past. I was so frustrated with the fact that I could not remember names — this had always been a struggle for me. I looked everywhere to find a solution and when I didn’t find one I decided to build Hiver! Hiver provides intelligent technology to help make events and networking sessions more useful by enabling users to remember the names of everyone they meet. On top of that, we provide data to event organizers so they can make their events better and more impactful. Looking back, I could have just accepted the fact that there wasn’t any good technology out there to help me. Yet, even though I had no experience, no money and couldn’t code, I decided to try to solve this problem. The only thing stopping us is…us. So build more doors! - Andrea Sommer

Inspire Daily

Inspire Daily: My mantra in life is FIND THE GOOD. I get upset often and vent about it. Finding the good does not mean you can’t be real but what it reminds us is not to wallow too long in the bad. Allow yourself to share and go through the bad but don’t let it overpower you and give yourself a time limit. Once you have reached that try and find a way to take what felt negative and turn it into something good, even a difficult life lesson is a good one. - Emily McCavanagh

Humble Confidence

Humble Confidence: This is critical for inspiring leaders. Often leaders try to be all things to all people. We feel like we personally must meet every need and, candidly, that makes us seem unapproachable or unnatural to our teams. Great leaders embrace the confidence to do and the humility to learn — a combination often found in risk takers. I learned this lesson as I moved into a sales role from a primarily technical and operational background, which led to a lot of humbling moments. After one particularly successful Saturday event, my team realized because of a lack of coordination with our network partners, we couldn’t install what we sold because we didn’t have enough equipment. We sold more in one day than our network teams planned for over several years. So, our teams came together and found a way to solve the problem. We built new partnerships and a better process for local marketing events. And my team saw me take a risk, fail and find a way to recover. - Jenifer Robertson

Culture matters

Culture matters— People want to work at a company where values are important and they align with the way things are done. People also want to work at a company that places an emphasis on work / life balance, to the extent it can be achieved. Companies also need to do good in the world. It isn’t enough anymore to just make money and take money; companies should have a purpose and leaders need to drive this purpose. Culture makes a huge difference and is critically important. - Andrea Brimmer

Master the art of the unapologetic no

“Mastering the art of the unapologetic no.” I have a whole presentation on it. Simply put, honor your commitments without the need to explain the details surrounding them. You’re either available or not available. No one needs to know the details of your schedule or your work/life balancing act. My famous “ketchup lady” story: When my son was in elementary school, he asked if I could be the “ketchup lady.” After asking what a “ketchup lady” is — apparently, she is the class mom who dispenses ketchup during lunchtime (seriously) — I committed to “ketchup lady” duties the following Friday. During the week, a client meeting popped up on my calendar for that same Friday. I declined, saying I had a commitment. The senior client called and asked if I could move it — apparently, I was needed in the meeting. I explained that I was unavailable. He asked why. I said I was the “ketchup lady.” After explaining to him what a “ketchup lady” was, I added, “I know you value me for keeping my commitments.” The meeting got rescheduled to accommodate me. To this day, he still (warmly) refers to me as the “ketchup lady.” And I learned that if you really need to be there, things can be moved; otherwise, you probably really didn’t need to be there. - Jennifer Zimmerman

Jump in

I honestly never stop. I tend to work overtime in my work because I know there are lives that need to be saved; lives who depend on me. I have seen the worst of the worst of what humans can do to animals and have learned to compartmentalize and fight through the pain of what I see and hear. But, it’s important to report on what’s happening to animals around the world so that more people can help make the necessary changes needed to save them. It’s a very hard thing to do, but I know that it is something that must be done worldwide. I had a fear of public speaking and knew that if I wanted to be a voice for the animals that I had to overcome that fear, so I said yes when asked to tell my for Peace 4 Animals story at animal welfare rallies around the country, and eventually overcame my fear. My advice is to jump in head first and confront you fears, and eventually that fear will become a thing of the past. - Katie Cleary

Assume you’re replaceable

Assume you’re replaceable. A fallacy in leadership roles is that any of us are so important that we can’t be replaced. Deep inside we all know this is not the case. Not only should we assume we are replaceable, but we should also be actively working on succession planning every day. That’s a way to keep your industry healthy. - Terry Fulmer

Too Much Feedback Hinders Creativity

Too Much Feedback Hinders Creativity. It’s critically important that people feel ownership over their areas, especially in marketing. It’s easy to say “just do it like this,” but it’s always more effective to let people own their ideas especially with creative work. Give feedback to your team, of course, but don’t be too directive or it will hinder their creativity. Don’t be afraid to articulate your feedback in emotions — “I really want this presentation to have more life, to be more colorful and alive, it needs to have more energy.” It’s much more motivating for a creative person to take feedback like that and then start thinking of ideas to get the work to that place. If you tell them you don’t like the font, or don’t like this or that color, that is asking them to be inside your head and guess what your issue might be. And if you continue giving feedback in this way, they will stop thinking for themselves and just do whatever you ask for (not necessarily what is the best work they could do). - Jennifer Grant

Know what you’re not good at

Know what you’re not good at. I see a lot of people who try to fit themselves into a role they “should” succeed at. It rarely works in the long term. I’ve been in HR positions where the requirements of the role weren’t what I could deliver at a level I’m comfortable with. In those situations, I’ve had to get real about it and move on. Being honest with yourself about what you can’t do well is critical. Ask colleagues how they would rate you in your role, and if they don’t think you’re performing at a high level, ask them what they think you’d be better off doing. You have to be prepared to hear some hard truths, and you may be surprised at the answers. Either way, the information could put you on the path toward something that will be your best work. - Cara Brennan Allamano

Full-contact management

I value full-contact management, hands-dirty collaboration, and thought-provoking relationships; using emotional intelligence, listening, and ethics to guide myself and my teams.

I believe true innovation comes through strategy, learning, technology, and quality. I approach situations from a global perspective, evaluating both the audience and long-term goals individually, as solutions are not one size fits all. - Rhonda Vetere

Know your blind spots

Know your blind spots. One of the most important things I have learned in my career is how important it is to know yourself. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Celebrate your strengths by starting each day reminding yourself you have a lot to offer; and, just like checking your blind spots on the bike, recognize and work on your weaknesses by always pushing yourself to grow. No matter how proficient of a rider you become, you always need to be aware of your blind spots. - Wendy Foster

Be Persistent

Be Persistent. No matter what others say, never give up. Throughout my life, I remember teachers, family members, friends, telling me it was impossible to accomplish certain goals I had made for myself. I even recall my career counselor in high school suggested that I was too ambitious and should set more attainable goals. Too often, I was told that working in the entertainment industry was impossible, because I had no connections. Well, I didn’t listen. I blew right through their fears, and instead converted their doubt into fuel for success. Never accept “that’s not possible” or “no, you can’t do it.” Instead, find solutions, walk down the unbeaten path and make your own way to success. Have faith and believe in yourself. - Daniela Mancinelli

Consistently recognize your team

Consistently recognize your team. Company leaders are often futuristic, which means we look and move toward what’s next. Generally that’s a positive quality for growth, but sometimes it comes at the expense of appreciating what your team has already accomplished.

My brain often thinks two steps ahead of where we are, so I constantly have to remind myself to slow down and show appreciation for what the team did yesterday. Most staffers appreciate that recognition, and some truly need it to stay motivated. Taking a few moments to give it goes a long way toward setting us up for the next project. - Alexis Grant

Blameless problem solving

Practice blameless problem solving — having a blameless conversation is the way to get to the root-cause of a problem and being able to improve it collaboratively. - Orsula Knowlton

People matter

People matter. People are the most important asset any leader has in their organization. Take time to get to know your people — what drives them, what scares them, what their dreams are. It will help you connect and gain their trust and support. - Kimberly Ramalho

Ensure that everyone has a sense of purpose

The best way to manage a large team is the same way you would a small team — ensure that everyone has a sense of purpose and goals aligned with the “big idea” or outcome. When we are all valued for our contribution and see the implicit reward in accomplishing something, teams come together and work in perfect harmony. - Brenda Christensen

Get comfortable asking for help and advice

Get comfortable asking for help and advice. There is no way you can know everything, so seek out advice and help from people who are experts in the areas you need. You don’t have to be all and do all. Ask for help — it doesn’t make you weak — in fact I’ve often found asking for help can be extremely freeing and offers the opportunity for someone else to invest in my vision. - Gemma Toner

Be a servant leader

Be a servant leader. I constantly ask myself how I can remove barriers the team may be encountering? How can I be of help to them in achieving their goals and results? How can I be humble and supportive? How can I be an advocate? Through servant leadership, I have found that teams can actually achieve larger goals, in more efficient and effective ways, than ever anticipated. - Terri Kallsen

Speak up

Speak up. This applies to so many aspects of your work and life. Speak up in meetings. When you see injustice, call it out. Go ahead and ask for that promotion. Just be prepared with the back-up to support what you say.

· Be unapologetic. Literally, stop saying sorry all the time. Be confident in your words and actions. Own your decisions. - Denise Lauer

Don’t be fearful of running too fast

Don’t be fearful of running too fast. I encourage people to be courageous and take strategic risks. We believe that our leaders must be ‘Smart with Heart’ and have the courage to make the big decisions that will drive our business forward. Our most successful leaders have a growth mindset and they’re always looking down the road versus seeing what’s directly in front of them. I believe that if someone doesn’t stumble a few times to reach their goal, they probably aren’t pushing hard enough for big results. - Tracy Skeans

Communication is the lifeblood of your business

Communication is the lifeblood of your business. I am what some might call an emotional glutton. I like to TALK about things. I used to be ashamed of this fact and instead, let things fester. As I’ve “grown up” in business, I find that clear, open and honest communication, no matter how uncomfortable, will make or break your business. - Jessica Zweig