Resilient Leadership

“We must be resilient to be successful.” That’s what Penny McIntyre, Newell Rubbermaid’s head of the nearly $2 billion office products division, told the company women’s network today.

Her talk comes right as so many women across industries find themselves demoted or demoralized in an ever-shifting economy. Amid more leadership opportunities for women today, at PINK, we also see women forced out of decade-long careers or tapped for promotions that come with twice the responsibly are but void of additional pay. It’s easy to see why so many have become frustrated, disheartened and overwhelmed. I can certainly relate. After all, I own and operate a media company, and have teenagers!

Yet, McIntyre’s stories and studies shared make it nearly impossible to linger on thoughts of what can’t be. Defined as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune,” resilience reminds us to bounce back and learn from change, to overcome and rise above and to go from enduring to being empowered, says McIntyre. She adds that resilience begets confidence, which results in more confidence – resilient women have the same characteristics as successful business leaders.

These qualities include:

• Hope and belief in what you are doing, coupled with faith in a brighter future.
• Commitment! Resilient women believe they have control and they realize that being unhappy or overwhelmed is a choice.
• The ability to view change as an opportunity for growth and foster a desire to help others.
• They are flexible, adaptable and optimistic.
• They have a sense of humor

Not convinced?

If you need more inspiration, McIntyre offers up more than 60 women who serve as examples of resilient leadership: Martha Stewart (who went from prisoner to profitability) to Madam Currie, Queen Elizabeth I, Hillary Clinton, Tina Turner, Helen Keller, Dorothy Height and Anne Frank. Even Joan Jett, who said “a girl can do what she wants to do and that’s what I’m going to do.” Today McIntyre inspired all of us to do just that!

By Cynthia Good