Our Pillars of Leadership

Who do you know who is an effective leader? It could be a manager, co-worker, friend, teacher, or family member. What do you think makes that person a good leader? 

Now more than ever we are understanding that good leadership, including self-leadership, is critical to our success and those around us. Experts have varied points of view regarding the key attributes of an effective leader and often debate if previous lists are relevant for today's accelerated, technology driven, global workplace. Most agree that leadership is learned by mastering a series of skills and behaviors. 

Because Aspire Strong is about bringing you the latest thinking, we examined current research-based sources and identified what we believe are the "eight essential leadership skills" for women on the rise. Here is our list and the themes that drive our content:

• Motivation: Willingness to maintain focus and do the things we need to do to achieve our goals.
• Self Awareness: Improve our emotional intelligence to develop positive relationships with ourselves and others.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to access problems and identify solutions in order to move things forward. 
• Communication: Transferring and responding to information and ideas so we better understand and connect with each other.
• Productivity: Ability to efficiently get things done that are meaningful to the end goal. 
• Adaptability: Speed at which we can adjust, learn new skills and embrace changing times. 
• Collaboration: Supportive and inclusive, including a willingness to help others, because we understand we are all in this together.
• Self Care: Commitment to prioritize our needs in order to sustain the journey with grit and grace.

 "Become the leader you aspire to be...start early, practice often and level up."