WHAT TYPES OF LEADERSHIP SHOULD WOMEN HAVE?

The journey of a woman begins from the day she is born into this world as an infant. Her arrival in some places is celebrated with all pomp and show and in some places, she ends up abandoned. The journey of growing up as a girl has many opportunities as well as challenges linked at every stage of life.

The most important and fundamental part of a girl's life is her Upbringing. How she is welcomed, heard, understood, and motivated since childhood leaves a deep impact throughout her life. As rightly quoted by Abraham Lincoln, “Teach the child to gracefully lose and enjoy winning when they win”. The most sensitive stage of a person's life is their childhood, when they are properly nurtured in their initial stages, they can do wonders and become fearless.

The most important trait in a girl when she is growing up is being fearless and herself. Another important stage while growing up is that of a teenager, neither a child nor an adult. The stage when they want everything under their control,and build their own new world and new peers. It is a natural phenomenon, as they are on the verge of getting Puberty. The mixed phase of a teenager is that of puberty, where a tremendous number of changes take place on their physical and emotional front.

The stage of puberty is a turning point in everyone's life, as one is vulnerable and openly exposed to both sides of the coin; good and bad. Proper knowledge, guidance, and support are required for teenagers round the clock so that they stay away from the bad aspects of society and focus on the good things.

I remember an incident from my school days, as a kid, I was a very timid, short-heighted, and shy kind of girl. I was the only child back then, living away from my cousins, with fewer neighbors, and more books that remained around me for a very long time. In school competitions, marathons, and swimming galas, I always remained last. The desire to participate decreased to nil, and the enthusiasm to prove myself was negligible. One fine day my class teacher was taking a screening test for the skit competition. Every year at the annual day, kids from different classes were selected to perform activities like dance, music, and drama in front of the chief guests and parents.

I had seen past skits in the school auditorium and always adored the kids performing with such zeal and vigor. This time out of the blue, I really wanted to be a part of the skit. As a kid, you take everything very seriously, even a No is a big thing for a kid, especially like me, a timid one. The class teacher knew that I used to avoid all the school activities and rushed home always, she was more inclined to take other kids than me. I didn’t even make it in the background, weeping and yelling in my room was the only option. My mother noticed these things and she knew very well that I’ll keep refraining from participating lest she did not push me.

Since 3rd grade, I clearly remember my mom coming along with me in every small competition of mine. She sat with a water bottle and some snacks for hours, I did not immediately make it to the finals, but she helped me face the screening confidently. Years passed and my lust for participation and winning increased. There was no turning back since then. My mother inducted a secret chip in my brain that said, don’t stop yourself from participating, if you fail, you’ll at least learn from it and go more prepared the next time, but if you don’t try, you’ll always remain in the same place. If that day, she did not get me out of my shell, I would have still remained timid. This turning point in my life helped me discover the lesser known me, who had a deep interest in writing, anchoring, being on stage for extempore, debates, etc. The thrill and adrenaline rush I used to get while speaking on stage and the compliments I used to get after it was incomparable and unbeatable. The zero-stage fear also leads me to be a prime part of the college theatre for three long years. The once afraid, timid girl who could not be able to even crack the screening round was now performing different characters of different genres.

TYPES OF LEADERSHIP WOMEN SHOULD HAVE – growing up, I realized that the competitions and selection in school and college teams were not enough, being a woman, I had to prove myself at every point. This exam of being a woman, being right, and having talent was a difficult one to clear. Here are a few tips I would like to share which have proven to be effective in leadership –

•  Fearlessness – women are usually judged and mocked weakly according to their physical and emotional side. They should always remember that physical and emotional sides can never limit them from growing and conquering any peaks. Junko Tabei, the Japanese mountaineer made history by being the first woman to scale Mount Everest. If she was limited from scaling the tallest peaks of the world, she would have never made it. The biggest peaks and the biggest setbacks of life often make women stronger than they are. It requires immense patience and perseverance to continue the journey as a woman. All you require is the passion to keep fighting for your dreams and a fearless attitude.
•   Stay determined – as a woman, I'll always be judged and put down or made to compromise on many fronts. This should never limit your growth or your passion or your goals. It’s easy to give up but it’s difficult to hold on to the dream you’ve been seeing your whole life. The secret to a successful life and career is being determined and chasing your dreams, no matter who is with you or who is against you.
•   The art of learning and growing – we often take the fact that we have attained training or a degree so we are now all ready to take over the highest position. It’s not true always, women do make it to the highest position, not only by their talent but also by learning, accepting, and growing from the vicinity. Nobody is perfect, we learn till the last breath of our lives. As the zen saying goes, keep your mind like an empty vessel every morning you wake up, so that lessons to be learned can be poured like tea in it.
• Use your talent - some women leave their careers after the birth of their children. The urgency of a woman to be the sole caregiver should be amended. Both parents should be made equally responsible for taking care of their children. Due to huge gaps in careers, women do not get to the position they desire and end up frustrated. It is always great to restart a career at any age in life. If not a topmost position in an MNC, a small kindergarten and teaching few kids is also a great start.

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