The Voice of the 21st Century

Hi everyone -- such great conversations and recommendations.

Sorry to be awol; I was sucked into an impt Summit we ran on Friday helping a very powerful group of Hollywood TV men (all men) imagine the biggest future possible for their organization. It was such hard work for them to see beyond an immediate task. Early on we flashed a quote from Mark Twain: "you can't trust your judgment if your imagination is out of focus" and one of the men immediately started arguing the validity of that line! It was stunning to see how difficult it was for him (and many there) to let go of knowing definitely what was "right" for even an hour - for them to spend even a moment in imagination. This was an especially tough crowd but overall THAT is one of the biggest hurdles to transformative leadership; being able to sit in a space of Wonder and not be fully in command -- especially as things are breaking down and need to be reinvented. And this is the gift progressive leaders -- both men and women -- bring to the future.

At the same time, I do think it's critically impt to understand where we add value -- how we can contribute most meaningfully to the future -- and then to dive into that work with gusto and confidence. It is not about whether or not we are brilliant enough but whether or not we are passionate enough. In moments of doubt, I'm learning that focusing on whether I'm worthy enough to carry it off is a huge waste of energy. Instead, I'm focusing on the idea I want to share -- the work I think must be done -- and to remove my ego and need for immediate, tangible measurable results (that prove I was worthy) out of the way. It takes some trust but is hugely liberating to approach things this way! It's truly amazing to see the doors open when you knock from a place of love and contribution. And the support that surrounds an authentic mission.

As a daily reminder to myself and to my children, we have these four words stenciled in huge letters on our living room wall: WONDER. THANK. DO. REPEAT.

Seems that's all the world is asking from each of us, isn't it?

Can't wait to see you all this afternoon!

Hi Everyone,
I would like to gather the wisdom of this dynamic group and ask, "What is the best business book you have read recently and why did it resonate?"

For me it was the autobiography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson- I love biographies and this one really resonated because a lot of Steve Jobs success was because of his use and maximizing of 'feminine' principles of business. Here is a list of things he did/believed and he says it directly affected his views and business approach:

#1- He went barefoot a lot- he liked the freedom of no shoes and felt it kept him 'grounded'
#2- He meditated and spent time in India where he learned the art of 'free thinking' non structured
#3- His vision for the world was accessible technology for all- simple and easy to use

There are so many business lessons in this book- granted he apparently wasn't always fun to be around and even a little eccentric but his vision and creativity and his ability to hire the right people were all keys to his success.

Not only am I an Apple convert for the past nine years but I am true Steve Jobs fan too.

What about you?

I love the dialog that has begun with life lessons. It will be wonderful to see the wisdom from all of you lovely contributors. I would say that to answer in brief, that one of my life lessons has been to release and surrender. Knowing what is in my control and what is out of my control. It took me years to get to a place that I had to know that all didn't have to be perfect and lined up accordingly.. that some times that random twist in the road would be just the path I needed to go on. Even if the path seemed to have more bumps that I didn't think I could bear, I got through it and learned invaluable lessons. What has been a lesson that you would like to share?

Q1: You obviously have a story of a life altering journey that has led you to where you are today and has inspired and affected change by just being "YOU". What have you learned along the path that we want to know about? Need to know about? MUST know about as we enter into this next era?

It's been so energizing reading these first few posts; what a pleasure to have this opportunity to share and learn with you all!

First, Viveka, thank you for sharing Marianne Williamson's essay; I still remember the day I first read this and all the lightbulbs that went off for me! The line "your playing small does not serve the world" has been ringing in my ears ever since. It's the most compelling invitation, isn't it? And so true! It even inspired me to change the name of my company to Play Big Inc so that we could be a better beacon for those looking to shift their brands and organizations in this way.

And yes, Rania, I think it's vitally important to understand the unique moment we are all witness to. The world is in the middle of a big shift -- one where old models are breaking down and new ones have yet to be created. This is true for every organization, institution, company ... and person. The simplest way to describe it is that we are moving from a model of Extraction to one of Contribution. Rather than ask how much I can consume, control and charge, the question becomes how best can I serve and facilitate the success of others? I don't say that in a utopian, rainbow colored way. I truly believe that is the question in front of all leaders.

Another way to look at it is to ask yourself:
1. what does the future need from you?
2. what are you in a unique position to create (offer)?
3. do you have a community who cares and do you give them the tools to support and advocate for you (and your ideas)?

As you consider this new orientation, it's not surprising that the voice and talents of women become so critical. We are natural collaborators, community builders, and creators. We can handle ambiguity and allow ourselves to break from stagnant models of the past. We are not gripped by clinging to outdated paradigms. And we invest energy in building supportive, enthusiastic networks just like this one! As such it is imperative that we step forward and be the leaders, motivators and models for all in our orbits: our bosses, clients, peers, students and children. Of all genders.

For many this can be a frightening time. For those grounded in an authentic and clear purpose, it's a moment of extraordinary possibility.

It gives me great pleasure to be part of this esteemed panel and am sincerely grateful to Liora Mendeloff for her kind invitation and for being a wonderful moderator for our panel.

Major changes took place in the world during the past few years at a pace never seen in the past 50 years of modern development. Knowledge, reasoning and communication have become important as critical standards in today’s world within the context of any larger changes.

As of today, almost 11.75 years of the 21st century have passed and they have made a huge difference in the way we live, think and feel. One example is the significant advancement of technology where about 70% of the world’s population used mobile phones, whereas around 30% used the Internet.

Furthermore, uncertainty about the short and medium-term future is as high as it has been for a decade, if not higher. Economically, the uncertainty centers on how the global economy will respond to the spreading financial, economic and social crises…

In the face of all those changes and challenges, women have steadily gained on and in some cases surpassed men in education and employment.
Moreover, women proved they are more creative in the face of the recent financial and economic crisis where they sought starting a charity organization, an NGO or a community task force in the face of increasing unemployment rates and the economic hardship.

I have to take a step back right here and explain why I started with the global macro picture of the world we currently live in? It is usually helpful to see the whole forest before targeting your favorite tree in this forest!

Now I think you are ready to hear my message to you; for all the ladies in this planet, you deserve the best and indeed the sky is your only limit to reach your full potential, especially in this time, where your talent and capabilities will not be only utilized but they are much needed.

One of the key principles in Financial Management is that you should think about a viable and fruitful investment project before thinking about the ways to finance your ideas because good ideas get financed so easily.
Using the same analogy, I genuinely believe that if you elaborate in what is it that you want to achieve or dream of achieving, then believing firstly in yourself and your dream, you could start to actualize it before you even know!

This is your voice; this is your message in life… This deserves your deep thoughts and it is worth sharing with us; am much looking forward to hearing from all the lovely ladies participating in this marvelous and meaningful conference.

What I love about the 21st century is that we have a voice if we want it! Almost any woman anywhere - any age - any nationality can create her own unique and powerful voice! Perhaps some of us have taken our freedom of voice for granted in North America - and the ability to look through the eyes of women who are just engaging their voices for the first time certainly makes me appreciate this time, this technology, and this freedom anew.

With this "new" voice (and voice re-discovered) its time to stand up and drop any pretense of "Little Old Me" syndrome. Someone is listening - and your voice makes a difference!

You knew someone would bring it up.... Marianne Willamson's Quote:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So excited to be here and on this panel!
Let let ALL our voices be heard - and if you have any questions on how to use social media to do it, please ask!

www.LinkedIntoBusiness.com

I am deeply grateful to Liora for asking me to be on this panel of esteemed and wonderful women from around the world. Yes Winnie.. this is our time!!

I feel that it is time to heal the pain of our past and move forward with a solid conviction to be empowered and to share our wisdom through our mistakes and revelations, which occurs during times of trials and tribulations.

I am very excited to take part with my team from the Global Women's Empowerment Network (GWEN) at the Women's Conference inside of this Touch Pointe panel and at our booth - where we will be able to share stories about healing and hear what you have to say.

It's TIME to have our voices heard.

I want to hear your story! I feel that together through the story-telling process we can inspire the collective conscious to heal and move from the past into a new way of living. It's time to fully love ourselves and to share the wisdom with our sisters and brothers .

I am curious. Tell me your story!!

www.GWENNetwork.org

Thanks Liora for the Voice of the 21st Century.

This is our time! This is a new and wonderful decade for women. There will never be another decade like this one. Our lives are opening up and we are going to enjoy the ride. We have spent too much time trying to work it out in the past – planning, thinking and worrying. The world has presented us with the glorious opportunity and we are free to seize it.

As we embark in this journey let us remember Abraham Maslow’s words “We fear our highest possibilities (as well as our lowest ones). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moment, under the most perfect conditions, under conditions of greatest courage. We enjoy and even thrill to the godlike possibilities we see in ourselves in such peak moments. And yet we simultaneously shiver with weakness, awe, and fear before these very same possibilities”.

Remember to lead where you are "planted".

WINNIE KAMUYA – Founder, Women in Leadership (WIL) Conference & CEO, International Renaissance Centre & International Renaissance Centre (Nairobi, Kenya). Ms. Kamuya is the of CEO International Renaissance Center, Kenya a management development organization which incorporates training and convenes conferences with the aim of bringing managerial cadre together to learn from each other. She is the Founder of Women in Leadership (WIL) Conferences in Africa and WIL Newsletter through which she inspires others especially women. She is also the founder of Personal Assistant of the Year Award™ – Africa and The Assistant Newsletter through which she inspire others. She is a mentor and very passionate about making a difference in the world. Her motto: I am unique, the powers to be who I want to be are in my hands.

DR. RANIA AZMI – Strategic Adviser to one of the Largest Sovereign Wealth Funds in the World; International Association for Feminist Economics Key Contact in Egypt & Kuwait; & Women’s Empowerment Advocate (Kuwait City, Kuwait & Egypt). Advising one of the world’s largest Sovereign Wealth Funds, Dr. Azmi is well recognized as a global practitioner having worked as a freelance consultant for the International Finance Corporation and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Egypt. Awarded the Google Prize in 2009 for ‘Most Interesting and Creative Work’, she has spoken internationally for a number of universities, the World Bank and other reputable venues. Dr. Azmi serves on the Board for a number of NGOs and professional associations globally. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Portsmouth and most recently joined the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council.

CHERYL CRAN – President, Global Speakers Federation (Vancouver, BC Canada). An in-demand Speaker, Author and Consultant to leaders and entrepreneurs, Cheryl Cran, CSP helps others lead change in a fast-paced, technological and multi-generational workplace. Cheryl combines years of corporate experience in the finance and insurance industries along with over 16 years as a consultant working with a multitude of industries. Cheryl is the author of 101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y & Zoomers, Happy at Work, The Control Freak Revolution, and 50 Ways to Lead & Love It.

MICHELLE CAMERON – Olympic Gold Medalist- Entrepreneur- Mom of 4 Children Inspiring Possibilities- CEO -Gold Medal Inspirations (Calgary, AB Canada). Michelle became the first ever Albertan to win an Olympic Gold Medal, was inducted into Alberta and Canadian Halls of Fame and International Aquatic Sports Hall of Fame, and was awarded the prestige’s Order of Canada. Michelle’s company “Gold Medal Inspirations” mission is to inspire all to embrace their full potential. She speaks openly and honestly about overcoming challenges, digging deep and sharing tangible success tools. She has been sharing her message and inspiring companies and organizations to step into their greatness locally and around the world for over 20 years.

TESS CACCIATORE – Co-Founder, Global Women’s Empowerment Network (Los Angeles, CA USA). Tess Cacciatore is an award-winning producer, videographer, journalist and social entrepreneur who has dedicated her life advocating for peace, justice and equality around the globe. Tess has spoken regularly at the United Nations (Geneva and New York) and other international platforms on behalf of children and the important use of media and technology to bridge the cultures of the world. In 2003, Tess was awarded the Fete d’ Excellence within the Sub-Commission for Human Rights at the United Nations (Geneva, Switzerland) for her work in educational entertainment. She recently launched The Global Women’s Empowerment Network (GWEN), a nonprofit organization that uses cutting-edge technology and multimedia programming to raise awareness and funds to support and heal women and children who have suffered abuse of all kinds.

PAULETTA WALSH – Executive Director, American Women For International Understanding (AWIU) (Ojai, CA USA). Prior to becoming director for AWIU, Ms. Walsh was the Assistant Dean for Advancement and Alumni Affairs at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University. Previously, Ms. Walsh served at the United States Department of State in Washington, DC, working in the Bureau of Public Affairs and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, as Television and Media Advisor. Ms. Walsh made substantial contributions to United States’ public diplomacy strategy in Europe, traveling to US embassies and missions to advise senior staff on strategic communications. In 2008, Ms. Walsh received a Meritorious Honor Award from the US Department of State for her work in support of the United States’ mission in Europe.

NANCY GIORDANO – Branding Futurist & Lead Curator TEDxAustin (Austin, TX USA). With an abundance of energy and passion, Nancy has spent her career building, shaping and reviving many of the country’s most prestigious brands. As a brand futurist, she sees the powerful possibilities that exist at the intersection of cultural, demographic and values trends. With a unique ability to synthesize all she sees (and feels), Nancy is frequently invited to share her future-forward perspectives at conferences and client boardrooms across the country. Building her career at several of the top ad agencies in NY, Chicago and LA, Nancy has developed a proprietary Future of Branding model and led re-branding strategies for Safeway’s highly successful "Ingredients for Life" effort, Tourism Australia, Ryland Homes, the City of West Hollywood, the Tournament of Roses, Burger King’s family business and more!

VIVEKA VON ROSEN – CEO of Linked Into Business, Listed #6 in Forbes Top Ten Women in Social Media (Fort Collins, CO USA). Viveka is known internationally as the “LinkedIn Expert” and speaks to business owners, corporations, Legal Firms and associations on the benefits of marketing with social media, and in particular LinkedIn. Author of “LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour A Day” for John Wiley & Sons, she is also a regular source on LinkedIn for prestigious news outlets such as Mashable.com, TheSocialMediaExaminer.com and The Miami Herald. She is the host of the biggest LinkedIn chat on Twitter: #LinkedInChat (Recently quoted by Mashable as one of the top 10 business blogs) and co-moderator of LinkedStrategies, the largest LinkedIn strategy group on LinkedIn. She is constantly learning, sharing and transferring social media skills and strategies to her tribe.

ADORA SVITAK – Youth Author, Speaker, Activist, Teacher (Seattle, WA USA) (At age 12, Adora was the youngest speaker to grace the TED stage). Since the age of four, Adora Svitak has been exploring what she can do with the written word. That exploration translated into a book, “Flying Fingers”, when she was only seven years old, a TED Talk, and some other fun adventures. Through her work, she hopes not just to speak up herself, but also to amplify the voices of others. As the organizer for TEDxRedmond, her commitment is to provide a platform for fellow teens. Adora is a Contributing Writer of opinion pieces about feminism and education for the Huffington Post.

DAME DC CORDOVA – Ambassador of New Education & CEO, Excellerated Business Schools/Money & You (San Diego, CA USA). Dame DC Cordova is CEO of Excellerated Business Schools®/Money & You®, a global organization with over 95,000 graduates from Asia Pacific and North America. DC is a Humanitarian and Philanthropist whose purpose is to uplift humanity’s consciousness through business. She is the author of the comprehensive systems manual “Money-Making Systems” and has been featured in dozens of multi-media books and films.

MODERATOR:

Liora Mendeloff is President and Founder of Woman Speakers Association (WSA). With 20+ years experience behind the scenes in the speaking industry, Liora is keenly aware of its evolution. Her belief that “collaboration is the new currency” is at the core of Women Speakers Association and her work as a Business Partnership Strategist. Having adopted this view early in her career as COO for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Foundation, it remained at the heart of her career path as a joint venture broker, virtual book tour promoter and booking agent for prominent women thought leaders, best-selling authors and conscious entrepreneurs. A passionate mapmaker and maverick at heart, Liora is bound and determined to shake up the status quo and break new ground for how women grow their business, their bottom line and broadcast their message to the world.