On Wednesday, I attended a fascinating event organised by the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce, the journal “Handelsblatt” and INSEAD, the renowned business school in Fontainebleau and Singapore, called [1] “More Women into Top-Management Positions”. 

[2] Herminia Ibarra, the The INSEAD Chaired Professor of Organisational Behaviour, gave a keynote to about 200 or so German professional women from many different industries. She was REALLY inspiring: interesting, intelligent, witty, lively …

Here are some of the interesting things that she said (ok, ok, I had to made my peace with the teenage girl vividly quoting Immanuel Kant to not so amused teenage boys that is somewhere stashed away in my memories of myself, and I actually managed to take notes. Let’s say, I did it for you guys):

In becoming a leader, men and women consistently struggle with three things:

1) Thinking strategically

2) Identifying stakeholders and

– learning to sell (not just produce) good ideas

– working through networks and coalitions

3) broadening one’s “natural” leadership style to fit more constituencies

I think this is very interesting from a solution focused point of view — Solution focus MUST be able to help with all of these. Strategic thinking: “If a miracle happened …”, Identifying Stakeholders: Circular questions / Perspective Change “How would your boss notice …” Broadening Leadership Style: “If something does not work, do something different”.

We only seem to have difficulties with the “selling good ideas” part.

Which brings me to the next very interesting discovery:

Chip and Dan Heath [3] “Made to Stick: Why some Ideas Survive and Others Die” — a very good book for those of us who are not only in the business of making ourselves rich and famous but also in the business of making this a better (and alive) place for everyone.

On that note,

*seriously*

Kirsten