It’s day three of the 2024 Women in Leadership Institute (WIL 2024), the 25th annual event, and energy is electric here in Orlando, Fla.—and on our virtual platform.
We’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look at WIL 2024 and sharing some of our favorite, must-know insights from the Main Stage. Today, we heard from several inspiring women: Herminia Ibarra, Ally Love, and JoAnne Bass.
Miss our #WILinstitute Day 2 highlights? Check out the recap here and be sure to follow along on social media for in-the-moment coverage.
Highlights from Day 3 Speakers
HERMINIA IBARRA ON ‘BE CONNECTED: EMBRACE “NETWORKING” TO UNLOCK NEW POSSIBILITIES’
“Who are the 15 people who will be important for your career development over the next 2-3 years? Make a plan for how you’ll get to know them.” —Herminia Ibarra
Are you actively working to build and expand your network of trusted relationships? Do you understand the power and importance of building beneficial relationships with your colleagues?
Through the “Connected” competency, we unlock the power of relationships. When we are connected, we leverage a broad network of relationships inside and outside of our organizations, demonstrate openness and appreciation of viewpoints, and support the credibility of our colleagues. Above all, we look for opportunities to truly connect with others and contribute to their success.
It’s time to unlock the power of relationships to best leverage the resources available to us and seize opportunity.
Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy professor of organizational behavior at London Business School. She started her career at the Harvard Business School, where she served on the faculty for 13 years before joining the INSEAD graduate business school faculty in 2002.
Thinkers 50 ranks Ibarra among the top management thinkers in the world for her authority on leadership. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, a judge for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, one of Apolitica’s 100 most influential people in gender policy, a fellow of the British Academy, and the 2018 recipient of the Academy of Management’s Scholar-Practitioner Award for her research’s contribution to management practice.
She is the author of two best-selling books, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015) and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career (Harvard Business School Press, 2004). Her most recent article, The Leader as Coach, won the 2019 Warren Bennis Prize for the best leadership article in the Harvard Business Review. Ibarra writes regularly in leading academic journals and business publications including the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times and speaks internationally on leadership and organizational transformation.
Ibarra is a governor of the London Business School. She previously chaired the Harvard Business School’s Visiting Committee, which reports to Harvard University’s Board of Overseers, and served on the INSEAD Board of Directors.
A native of Cuba, Ibarra received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow.
Key takeaways from Ibarra:
- Actively work to expand your network of trusted relationships. Your network will be crucial throughout your career.
- Demonstrate openness and appreciation of viewpoints. Learn to listen to and make space for differing viewpoints.
- Be intentional about building your core relationships. Take the time to think about who you need to foster relationships with to make your vision happen.
- Similarity and frequency of contact are the top factors for building professional relationships. Identify what you have in common with your peers and take the time to consistently foster interactions.
- Invest in sponsorship relationships. Shower attention on sponsors to make sure you are getting the most out of those opportunities.
ALLY LOVE ON ‘BE BOLD: REDEFINING LEADERSHIP’
“I think we don’t look at humans as if they’re humans—especially women. … How does she do it all? She does not; she has help. And good for her.” —Ally Love
Do you assert yourself courageously and professionally? Do you speak assertively and are you willing to promote yourself and your ideas?
Ally Love shared her journey as a bold leader in her keynote. A multi-hyphenate trailblazer, Love is proof that we are capable of living complex and dynamic lives and that we can have it all. Her ultimate unwavering goal is to position those around her to step into their power—to redefine leadership in a way that embraces everyday joy, empathy, inclusion, and authenticity, offering audiences the tools to create small, intentional moments that lead to profound, lasting change in both their personal and professional lives. Drawing on her extensive experience in guiding people through personal development, Love emboldens women to unleash their inner boss, embrace authenticity, and reclaim their power.
It’s time to unlock the power of the “Bold” competency to move our goals forward—and achieve our dreams.
Ally Love is CEO and founder of Love Squad, a renowned Peloton instructor, an on-air contributor to the TODAY show, the host of Netflix’s Dance 100, and a former NBA in-arena host. Love is a multi-hyphenate trailblazer of the “slash generation.” In 2015, Love founded the Love Squad community to empower women through the facilitation of motivational and educational conversations. An entrepreneur, host, motivational speaker, ambassador, fitness instructor, and boss, Love is an inspirational powerhouse.
Key takeaways from Love:
- Get comfortable with what ambition means to you. Ambition is a good thing. You need to be secure in your ambitions, because when you experience challenges in life, you’ll have conviction. We’re trying to be effective, not nice or right.
- Feed the positive voice in your head. We all have the positive and negative in us, so put your energy toward the positive.
- Energy is contagious. The boss has the power to set the tone. Join a meeting with the energy you want to see.
- Optimize your day based on your energy zones. Know if you’re a morning, afternoon, or night person and then manage your schedule around that. Book your meetings when you’ll be most effective.
- Take breaks to prevent burnout. Have some joy in missing out and taking breaks for yourself.
Linkage’s 2024 Legend in Leadership:
We honor JoAnne Bass as our Legend in Leadership. Bass is a woman leader who has risen through the military ranks in a field that continues to strive for gender equity and representation. As the 19th chief master sergeant of the U.S. Air Force and the first woman to become the highest senior enlisted leader in any military service, she is a unique trailblazer and role model to hundreds of thousands of people. After 31 years of military service, she continues to advocate for national security and policies that support veterans and their families, using her influence and platform to make a meaningful impact.
As the founder and president of The Bass Group LLC, she continues to develop the leaders the U.S. needs while fostering a leadership style that breaks barriers, challenges conventions, and ignites innovation. She has been named honorary board co-chair for the Women in Military Service for America Foundation, serves on the Board of Directors for the Robert Irvine Foundation, is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and acts as a strategic advisor to the president of Columbia Southern University.
In Bass’ session at WIL 2024, she shared her purpose, what inspires her, and how she works to unlock the potential in those she impacts.
Key takeaways from Bass:
- You’re never too old to learn, and you’re never too young to lead. No matter where you are in your career, you can always be learning. Don’t underestimate your worth as a leader.
- Take care of yourself unapologetically. Allow yourself to take time off of work for family and personal matters and do so without apologizing. You deserve to take time for yourself and what matters to you.
- Use your calendar to map out your priorities. Your calendar can be a tool to block out time for family, friends, and yourself.
- Remembering your “why” can help prevent burnout. Knowing your “why” will help you endure when times are challenging.
What’s next at WIL 2024?
There’s more to come! Tomorrow, Kat Cole takes to the main stage to share her insights on the “Influential” competency and will help bring the 25th annual Women in Leadership Institute to a close.
Be sure to continue to follow along on the SHRM Business site and on social media for in-the-moment insights.
WIL 2024 is taking place Nov. 11-14, 2024.
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