Why you don't need an MBA to become a boss leader

Coach and Train Managers and Leaders: Coaching leaders to have meaningful conversations with women and ethnic groups. For some, it is not easy to have conversations with diverse groups. They need tools, strategies and coaching on how to do it.

Human Resources and other reward and Recognition processes: Organizations can encourage women by rewarding and promoting

Formal Assessment Tools and Development opportunities: providing women with an assessment like 360 feedback, psychometric evaluations and debriefs. Training debriefers for diversity and equality.

Women leadership development doesn't occur in isolation, and internal factors and external forces determine the outcome. Traditional corporations must restructure their systems, processes, and symbols to create an environment where women leaders nurture and grow. The barriers, biases and glass ceilings are not just the barriers for going up, but all-around women and, like gravity, pull them down. Although there have been bigger discussions about gender equality in the last few years, the backdrop for women's leadership development still needed to change.

“WHEN YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO, THE HARD WORK IS WORTH IT.

Article written by:

Sarah Balke

Think of all those hard conversations you avoid, or the conflict that impacts your board, your team, or your external relationships. Just thinking about it likely gives you a headache, so it might surprise you that this is the space that I work in. As a conflict strategist and multiaward-winning mediator, I elevate leaders by empowering them to overcome conflict barriers.

Why does this matter?

We live in a world that has never been more connected.

Yet we are seeing a rise in division. We have so many options to help us resolve conflict, yet there is an increasing sense of injustice, unfairness, and insecurity.

Leaders in business and communities face pressures about governance, finance, legalities. They are searching for an edge, the next break or growth opportunities.

But at the same time, we want everything to be nice, calm, easy, straightforward. Nuances just make everything more difficult right?

In an effort to feel in control, to save face we don’t deal with the problems that creating barriers to moving forward.

In an increasingly diverse and global world, it will become critical that leaders develop the capacity to navigate effectively the ‘hard times’ not just the great times.

We know that complex problems and divided communities can make decision-making hard and without the skills, confidence, or processes to guide them, leaders often struggle with what the right response is. In the past, leaders call in the lawyer, they issue a letter or start court proceedings. But increasingly lawyers and leaders recognise that complex problems often require different strategic intervention. This is where my services come in. To help assess, create clarity, and guide negotiations. Frankly, I am driven by a desire to change the way we think about and respond to conflict. From mindset shifts to skills development, process design and facilitationT

– I want to help you lean into the conversations that really matter.

But how did I end up doing this work? I am a second generation and come from families who were dedicated to social justice and supporting the communities they lived in. We grew up connected to the land we lived on, we grew up being taught to listen, to talk about our problems and to work towards solutions. Without me knowing it, my family were teaching me to live life as a peacemaker.

I have been privileged to work with remote Indigenous communities across Australia and into the Pacific, exploring and delivering cross-cultural conflict services.

It is this work that has taught me most about being a strong female leader. Here is some of what I have learnt.

Conflict is messy. It is uncomfortable and very uncertain. And it is this lack of control that so often leaves people feeling vulnerable.

I can remember the exact moment when I found the confidence to lean into conflict. Like most people, the moment wasn’t pretty, and I feel those dark emotions deeply. I likely had tears running down my face as I contemplated my own barriers and those that were being thrown at me. It bloody hurt, it was confusing, and I was filled with insecurity. In this moment of deep desolation, I opened my heart and found my anchor.

I found this deep connection inside me – a capacity to just be in the moment and know, really know that despite how confusing, confrontational, or challenging the conflict, I could survive.

This deep inner strength has rooted, found its footing in the soil of this land, in my family and the knowledge of the business of dispute resolution that I have crafted, nurtured, and discovered since. It is not an easy path, conflict will never be a comfortable thing for anyone, but knowing my foundations, knowing when to hold the line and when to give has helped forge me into something stronger.

It has called to my purpose – my naming…Widingal/ Bringer of Calm Waters, the name gifted to me by my family in Arnhem land.

In making this choice, a conscious decision to lean into that confusion, conflict and fear, I have been able to grow into my own skin as a leader. I am no longer fearful of the hard conversations, nor of asking the hard questions. I am not soft, neither am I too hard – I am just as I am meant to be, better equipped to deal with the realities of conflict. These experiences continue to shape and distinguish my delivery model from others. Creating change in conflict starts with me – I set the tone of the engagement, my capacity to remain calm even in the face of high conflict and sometimes violence enables me to help clients shift towards resolution.

What I hope for each of you is that you find confidence in your own foundations that will hold you steady when conflict rocks the boat. I want you to become empowered and own your full potential – not seeking power over others, but knowing that the best results in business, in our communities emerges from our capacity to collaboratively turn problems into opportunities.

What I want to do is encourage you to find a way to talk about the problems and the hard conversations, to lean into the conflict and discover a world of possibilities.

A PERSONAL NOTE FROM HILDA JOHANI CMA

Interview by

Hazel Herrington

HH: Who is Hilda Johani

Hilda is a mom of 3 children, raising her children as a lone parent. I mentor women very close to me, nationally and internationally.

I run 3 main businesses, and have created other income streams from those main lines of businesses.

HH: Any boss leadership tips you

would like to share?

Finally, don't be afraid to delegate - it's okay to ask for help, and it will actually make you a better leader. Keep these tips in mind and you'll be well on your way to boss lady greatness!

HH: What is your favourite quote?

I am pivotal in making your dreams a reality. See yourself as who you want to be in your future, and let us write your story together”

Boss ladies, listen up! Being a leader can be tough, but there are some easy ways to make sure you're giving your team the best chances for success. First and foremost, always remember to put your health first. If you're not taking care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of your team. Secondly, lead by example - if you want your team to be passionate and hard-working, make sure they see that same attitude from you.