During our WLF closing sessions, we look back to the beginning of the program and review the entire curriculum. A common refrain from participants is “I need to go back and do it again. There is so much content!” We understand that sentiment. Our program is designed as a survey course. We want to expose you to a range of topics so you can choose which topics you want to explore in greater depth when the time is right. We give you the notebook and slides so you can go back to it whenever you are stuck. But what if you no longer have access to your materials?
To remind you of some topics you might like to reconsider as we enter 2021, we thought you would find it interesting to review the big takeaways from our 2020 cohorts. During our closing sessions this year, we asked participants to tell us one big takeaway from the program. That is, one thing that they want to make sure to remember. This is what we heard.
– Seeing my own unique value (not comparing myself to others)
– Asking for what I want
– Focusing on my strengths
– Becoming more grounded and centered
– Becoming less reactive and more proactive
– Understanding the power of an empathic network (during COVID it was a lifeline)
– Defining success on my terms (not based on comparisons or other people’s definition of success)
– Resilience is having the ability to come back to center and recover when needed (resilience is NOT “I can handle anything through sheer grit”)
– Becoming more confident, brave, and aspiring to what I want (not feeling like an imposter)
– Being brave (feeling the fear and doing it anyway)
– Finding the personal agency to make small changes that have big impact
– Understanding the impact that I have on others and how others impact me
– Understanding how powerful it is to be with a group of women who work in a similar cultuer and are as ambitious as I am (“I am normal”)
– Understanding the power of “Deep Work”
– Embodying the leadership attributes of calm, confident, authentic, and positive
If any of these topics resonate with you, you can go back to your materials. You can also go to the Resources section of our website for books and article recommendations or join a future WLF Community Call to discuss with the group.
Are you an alum of the Women’s Leadership Forum? We’d love to keep in touch with you! Request to join us in our private Facebook group, or connect with Susan on LinkedIN and send me a note that you’d like to be part of our exclusive LinkedIn group. Also follow us on Instagram for frequent reminders of WLF content!