This week we find out:
- Arianna Huffington’s re-imagined definition of success
- How to avoid forced networking and achieve authentic connection
- How the success of a women, from a remote Indian village, is the foundation for many more leaders and game changers to emerge
- Why women should not be afraid of failure
- What are the habits of wildly successful people
- How we adapt when it comes to learning under stress
At the end of this post, we encourage you to join us for a conversation. This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women, is:
“How would you describe, in one word, authentic networking?”
We would love to hear from you, so make sure you leave a comment at the end of this post.
1. Arianna Huffington: ‘The third revolution is to change the world that men have designed’ via The Telegraph
This week, Arianna Huffington was in London, leading The Huffington Post UK’s first-ever women’s conference, “The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money and Power.” The focus of the conference was to discuss a more sustainable definition of success, one that includes well-being, wisdom, and our ability to wonder and to give back.
‘It’s a model of success that’s not working for women, and it’s not working for men, either. Our workplaces are fuelled by sleep deprivation,’ says Arianna. The term ‘success’, she believes, should include the values of wellbeing, wisdom and kindness. Go-getters, she hopes, will become ‘go-givers’.
Arianna Huffington sees women leading the charge because, by coming later into the boardrooms of business, women have the clarity of vision to see them for what they are.
2. Permission to NOT network. (And to wear gold pants.) by Danielle Laporte
Danielle Laporte comes out with the truth and says: “Networking? Loathe it. And unless there’s a dance floor, I always leave the party early.” She makes the point that there are important distinction to make about networking: “ There’s fear-driven connecting, and there’s pure-enthusiasm connecting. There’s having unrealistic expectations about a connection, and there’s in-the-realm-of-possible kinds of connections.” Danielle encourages us to ease up on the forced networking and embrace true connection, and to try this:
“Only bust a move when you’re truly enthusiastic about doing so; when you feel you have value to offer; when you can feel a beautiful pull.”
3. Innovation Lessons from Shantha Ragunathan, an illiterate woman from a remote Indian village via HBR
Shantha Ragunathan lifted herself and her family out of poverty, bought a home and put her kids through college — all because a microfinancing scheme allowed her to buy a cow.
Shantha had strong business acumen and innate leadership qualities, even though she had no formal education. “Although she was poor in resources, she possessed the innovation mindset shared by many game changers,” write Vijay Govindarajan and Srikanth Srinivas. Continue Reading…
“Shantha Ragunathan is truly a game changer. Shantha’s success spread in a ripple effect from her family and her village to dozens of neighboring villages, ultimately affecting thousands of individuals. […] Even more important, by serving as a role model, she created the foundation for many more such leaders and game changers to emerge.”
4. Five Reasons Why Women Fear Career Failure (And Why We Shouldn’t) via Huff Post Women
Women entrepreneurs deal with plenty of obstacles, but, according to a new study, the biggest challenge they face is something self-created. It’s the fear of failure which disproportionately impacts women. Julie Zeilinger identifies 5 reasons why women across career fields fear failure:
- Women’s unique history of exclusion adds pressure not to fail.
- Women define success differently — and thus what works for us may look like “failing.”
- We’re taught to view success as a linear progression — and anything that deviates from that progression as failure.
- We believe failure is permanent.
- When women do experience failure, they try to hide rather than acknowledge it. This silence creates the myth that they are the only ones who have failed.
5. Getting ahead: Habits of wildly successful people via Fast Company
There is no recipe for success, but, you can definitely move ahead by developing healthy habits. Here are some of the habits of highly successful and productive people:
- Get up insanely early
- Keep promises, no matter how small
- Learn how to tell stories
- Lead, don’t dictate
- Don’t be afraid–or embarrassed–of your failures
- Ask questions, a lot of them
See the entire list here
6. Balancing yourself: Study Shows that Brain Makes Adjustments to Learn Under Stress via Huff Post Women
Our brains are pretty adaptable when it comes to learning under stress. When we have to acquire new knowledge under stress, the brain generally employs unconscious rather than conscious learning processes, a Ruhr-Universität Bochum study finds.
Although it’s quite an interesting study, we know that the brain functions optimally when it’s not under stressed. Previous research has shown stress to have a significant effect on cognitive functioning including poor memory, decreased focus, and trouble learning. Continue Reading…
“To minimize stress and super-charge your brain power, try incorporating mindfulness into your everyday life. The practice of cultivating mindful awareness has been associated with lower stress levels.”
This week’s Juicy Bites question for you, dear emerging women is:
“How would you describe, in one word, authentic networking?”
Let’s start a conversation. We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.
