Dr. Rhine Discusses Resilience as a Key Characteristic for Women in Leadership

Women in leadership positions may hold various titles in our organizations and community. The concept of women in leadership acknowledges and addresses the historical underrepresentation of women in positions of influence. It recognizes women’s unique perspectives, skills and contributions to leadership roles and highlights the importance of gender equality and the need for greater representation of women in decision-making positions.

Being a woman in leadership requires a combination of qualities, skills and experiences often shaped by one’s personal and professional journey. In my experience as a senior leader in academe at colleges and universities in a number of states, a key aspect to leadership success is resilience.

Resilience is the ability to adapt, bounce back from setbacks, and maintain a positive mindset and a high level of perseverance and determination in the face of challenges. Resilient women are adaptable, learn from failure and work to create strong networks of support. They are adaptable to rapidly changing environments. They invite, welcome and embrace new opportunities, circumstances and uncertainty and respond to setbacks with newfound determination.

Resilient leaders learn from failure. They accept failure as a part of life and know that how we respond to it reveals our true level of resilience. Failures are often just redirection and opportunities for growth rather than dead ends. Temporary setbacks that cause us to reflect, extract lessons and learn and grow are actually gifts that build resilience and grit that prepare and armor us for the next challenge.

Resilient leaders also work to build, develop and maintain strong support networks. Surrounding yourself with individuals or groups that offer support, mentoring, guidance and camaraderie is key to working through foreboding challenges. A community of support that can serve to lend a listening ear, validate your experiences and motivate you to continue the leadership journey contributes to one’s overall resilience.

Being a woman in leadership inherently brings with it some responsibilities. Whether we like it or not, women and girls are looking to us as role models. Young women, new to the profession, often seek out women with experience as a mentor.

When I have been asked to serve in the mentor role, I work to offer unique insights into navigating challenging situations by using examples from my own life where I’ve successfully overcome a major obstacle. I encourage mentees to never stop learning and to take on new and different opportunities to further their personal and professional growth and development.

Fostering empowerment and self-belief in other women is the best part of the mentor role.  With that can come conversations about challenging stereotypes and bias in the workplace and society. It can be discussions that address issues of self-doubt, unworthiness or imposter syndrome. And while the mentoring process, in and of itself, is gratifying, celebrating milestones and accomplishments and recognizing the mentee’s achievements is the greatest reward.

Resilient leaders adapt and use the strength gained from adversity to navigate through difficult times, learn from failure and see value in connections with other people and networks of support. Women in leadership often find ourselves fostering empowerment and belief in other women because, collectively, we can drive positive change and, together, emerge stronger and more determined on our leadership journey.  QCBN

By Lisa Rhine

Lisa Rhine, Ph.D., is the president of Yavapai College. Hear from Dr. Rhine about her journey, including challenges, setbacks and successes that led to her leadership role in education. Dr. Rhine will be one of the featured guests in the “Women in Leadership Panel” at the 4th Annual Quad Cities ATHENA Leadership Awards, 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 24, at Starting Point. For more information about the event, tickets and nomination forms, visit PrescottAthena.com