There has been a lot of consideration given recently to the issues and concerns regarding diversity, inclusion, and systemic racism. We have become more sophisticated in our appreciation that diversity includes much more than race, nationality, gender, sexual preference, or expression. It includes such differences as thinking styles, communication, interaction styles, and much more.

When we are confined to our homes, time can seem infinite. Even if you are juggling homeschooling with working, taking some quiet time to look inward and outward to what’s possible in the future is time well spent. As leaders - and we are all leaders of our own lives as well as others’ - we make professional progress by observing the leadership lessons we see in action. Watch and listen to leaders during this crisis and you will see what works effectively and what does not.

Executive Women's Leadership (EWLP) is designed for experienced executives who have potential for greater leadership responsibilities. Topics covered include executive presence, communication skills, and leadership strategies to propel one's career forward! During the 3-day experience participants also have the opportunity to network and build community with guest speakers and program alumna.

After years of research and coaching executive women and entrepreneurs alike, I discovered that almost every woman who is looking to grow her career or business all share the same BARRIER. The repercussions from this one barrier create stop signs, slow driving, wrong turns and fender benders along the route to get to their desired destination. Sometimes women just stop driving, which is why many women are opting out during the time of the Great Resignation. A new program created by Her Circle Leadership for coaches and HR training managers is designed to address women’s challenges.

Courage is under fire in Ukraine. Margareta Kull, founder of Kull Leadership in Sweden and author of the new book, The Courageous Leader, dissects the internal thought process of the most courageous leaders and how Ukraine's President Zelensky exhibits it, and inspires his followers - the Ukrainian People - to also show amazing courage.

Super-successful women leaders have learned to eliminate the good girl habits which rewarded them in their teens but stalled them in their professional lives. From research, executive coaching and experience I have identified the new habits that propel women forward to achieve their personal visions of success without abandoning their values.

Welcome to the Remote Work Revolution. Forces out of our control – the pandemic – moved us powerfully into this new world of work. Unless you are in a service business, like food, dining, leisure activity, retail, children’s education, etc. that require being live and in living color to do your job, you most likely do most of your work at home or remotely, wherever you happen to be during your typical work hours. Even doctors, therapists and exercise instructors are working at least partially remote. And it’s never going back to the 95% in-person that it was in 2019.

Leslie Grossman, women's leadership advocate and founder of Circle Leadership, and Christine Merser, CEO of Blue Shoe Content,  show up at the Circle Leadership podcast table with three picks for the strongest Women Leaders of 2021. You may be surprised at their picks with some controversy, too.  Among the women leaders discussed are Sharon Bowen, new Chair of the Board of NYSE; Amanda Gorman, poet and activist;  and Liz Cheney, Congresswoman and member of the House Select Committee.

The real story about New Year’s resolutions is that people like to write them, yet they rarely achieve them. So why bother? Instead of writing a list of News Year’s resolutions, take time to think about three goals that will impact your life in a BIG way.

I know. Some of you are saying: ‘How can you call 2021 a resilient year when it was 365 days of pandemic?”

The number of women managers ditching the workplace in 2020-2021 has been dismal. America’s greatest migration is the number of women who have left managerial roles.  According to the analysis of the Women’s Law Center, 2.1 million women left their jobs in 2020, primarily due to the childcare crisis. As we move into 2021, the likelihood of women returning at the same rate to equal or higher positions is low. 

The number of women managers ditching the workplace in 2020-2021 has been dismal. America’s greatest migration is the number of women who have left managerial roles.  According to the analysis of the Women’s Law Center, 2.1 million women left their jobs in 2020, primarily due to the childcare crisis. As we move into 2021, the likelihood of women returning at the same rate to equal or higher positions is low. 

Resilience is the word of the moment. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from difficulties, adversity, or crisis. We all need resilience to survive this pandemic and move forward, but resilience won’t guarantee that you will thrive.

I thought Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) would live forever…. or so I hoped and prayed. She heroically fought off cancer since 2009. She was a significant person and lived a significant life.  Even her passing was significant.  According to midrash (Jewish wisdom), only the most righteous people die on Rosh Hashanah. It is undeniable that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was righteous. She stood for justice, gender equality and civil rights. She inspired, and will continue to inspire, women and young adults to be bold, courageous, outspoken, humble and kind.  She is acknowledged by those, whether they agreed or disagreed with her opinions, as a tenacious dissenter and contemplative jurist.

I want to accelerate gender equity practices in corporate management and in the boardroom. So I designed a course for NYU's School for Professional Studies, where I've been an adjunct professor for several years. I collaborated with a young engineer, Brittney Cummins, who also teaches leadership skills to young women in universities to offer a course on Building and Managing a Gender Inclusive Team.

On September 13th, CommPRO featured a webcast The Truth about Why There Aren’t More Women at the Top…and the Steps Companies and Women Can Take to Make a Giant Shift.   A panel of leadership experts offered their strategies and actions to solve this pressing issue.

Recently, I taught a class on how extraordinary conversations change your life – both professional and personal. As a Senior Fellow at The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL), I was asked to substitute for faculty member Joan Wangler who I greatly respect. To prepare for this all-day session I read the book Missing Conversations: 9 Questions All Leaders Should Ask Themselves (authors: Bridgette Theurer and Heather O’Neill Jelks).

Patrice Tanaka, Founder & Chief Joy Officer of Joyful Planet LLC, interviews people who are actively living their purpose and contributing to a more joyful planet. This interview spotlights Leslie Grossman, speaker, trainer, author, coach and advocate for women’s leadership development.