Shajen Joy Lichtenstein’s Insights on gender balance in leadership
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Shajen Joy Lichtenstein’s journey and vision for the future of leadership
Oksana Lavri Future work expert 12. June 2024 5 min read
Table of contents
Leadership and career journey
How do you view the importance of gender balance and diversity, especially within leadership positions?
What are the challenges and opportunities do you foresee for the next generation of leaders?
How have you built and sustained your confidence in a leadership role within the business?
Considering your recent experiences, what is one significant insight you’ve gained recently that you might not have believed before?
What advice would you give to other businesses or business owners to maintain this principle within their companies?
Reflections on the past, future trends, and mentorship
Can you share any mistakes you’ve encountered in your professional journey?
You mentioned a slightly different perspective between work and communication. What specific criteria do you consider for a leadership position in your business, especially considering gender diversity?
If we’re talking about another side of the business, what aspects of your business do you believe attract top talent? And what would constitute a successful hire for you in a year?
Meet Shajen Joy Lichtenstein , award-winning international bestselling author, educator, speaker, and executive producer. This interview explores Shajen’s leadership and career path, focusing on gender balance and diversity in leadership positions. She shared her experiences and insights on the challenges and opportunities facing the next generation of leaders, particularly in education and institutional change. Read more about it below.
Leadership and career journey
In this chapter, Shajen Joy Lichtenstein discussed the importance of gender balance and diversity in leadership positions, emphasizing how diverse perspectives contribute to an inclusive environment. She also discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the next generation of leaders, particularly in education and institutional change.
Q: How do you view the importance of gender balance and diversity, especially within leadership positions?
Gender balance and diversity in leadership positions are essential. It takes all perspectives and different ways of knowing about things to really create an environment that works for everyone. That’s why I think it’s essential in leadership, that it’s balanced and that the roles are balanced.
For example, I’m on a team within this large organization I work with right now. When I first joined it, what really surprised me was that all the people making decisions about a large number of people were all male, all wonderful at that, and all very balanced, masculine men. However, what was missing was a feminine perspective completely at the table.
Watching feminine leadership show up at the table, myself, and a couple of other women when it first began created a much more diverse foundation for everyone who entered that organization moving forward. And so that experience was very palpable for me.
Q: What are the challenges and opportunities do you foresee for the next generation of leaders?
I think the opportunities live within the challenges, like the gifts of our adversities. The challenges are about education. I think of it as the domino effect.
How are we really educating our youth?
What are the beliefs we’re instilling in them?
What are the common things that we really want people to understand and grasp and know about humanity, about themselves, even down to self-regulation?
I look at what we teach in our schools and who makes those decisions. That’s one of the biggest challenges we, as young leaders, face.
I think the opportunities are so vast because if we look at education and get our young, brilliant minds started to run our educational institutions, we can instill that change in understanding diversity, equity, and the concept of the individual tree in the forest.
That’s when I think we’ll be able to have real change moving forward. It’s through the education of educators, our students, and the people running our institutions at all levels.
Q: How have you built and sustained your confidence in a leadership role within the business?
That’s a journey, finding a woman in leadership and a woman in transformational leadership, educational leadership, and mental health. It’s been challenging at times.
Getting my voice heard and my perspective seen and understood has been challenging. I’ve also found that there are very supportive people, so it’s finding your people. That’s why the people within your organization are a key part of it.
Q: Considering your recent experiences, what is one significant insight you’ve gained recently that you might not have believed before?
I recently had an experience where I was part of a leadership team in an organization a few years ago, and there was some new leadership above me that changed, and it didn’t work for me. It became solid. It was top-down. And so, I cautiously took a different path and left, and that management changed, and an opportunity came up, and they asked me to come back with the new management and join what was going on there. And so, I thought about it and decided to give it a go-to, see what was different, and if it worked for me. I also felt an incredibly positive change in morale among many people in different factions within the organization. People felt part of the team. They felt that they were happy to be at work. All these different things came up. That was why management wanted this organization’s leaders to lead. You are the best leaders; you surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and who know more about their field of expertise and skill.
You surround yourself with a group of people you trust, assume competence in everyone, and allow them to take on those roles. I experienced this firsthand; it was a trickle-down and a domino effect.
When I came back, many more women were in leadership roles. More women were making a difference and having their voices heard, and the follow-through showed up for them. That was an incredible experience.
Q: What advice would you give to other businesses or business owners to maintain this principle within their companies?
One principle stands out in advice for businesses or business owners: don’t judge a book by its cover. This may sound like old advice, but it’s a crucial one.
It’s about understanding your needs, assessing the playing field, and creating opportunities for those with the right abilities, passions, and talents to contribute. By not judging based on appearances, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities and potential.
Reflections on the past, future Trends, and mentorship
This chapter shares key lessons learned from professional failures, the importance of maintaining voice and control in your work, and the critical role of self-care and integrity in leadership. The conversation explores how these experiences shape one’s approach to hiring and creating a diverse and equitable work environment.
Q: Can you share any mistakes you’ve encountered in your professional journey?
Plenty. That’s how we learn best. Failure isn’t bad; it’s a positive force . It’s all about how we perceive and interpret our experiences. Yes, I have failed many times, and each instance has taught me what works, what doesn’t, what to let go of, and what to focus on.
My biggest mistake was signing a legal document that took away my voice. I was new in the field and didn’t understand the implications of certain contracts as an author, writer, and content provider.
I unknowingly gave away many of my rights. It took significant effort to regain them, but it wasn’t a battle. I went through various steps and hard work to reclaim my rights, and I did. This taught me a valuable lesson: never give away control over your voice .
Losing control over my voice limited how my work went into the world.
Regaining my power made me feel whole. This wasn’t just about control but also about being able to monetize my own work.
Q: You mentioned a slightly different perspective between work and communication. What specific criteria do you consider for a leadership position in your business, especially considering gender diversity?
I look at competence, ability, and dedication when hiring for a senior role. When I say dedication, I mean to myself as well. One of the most significant but often overlooked aspects is that women bring the concept of self-care into any organization or business. The balance and regulation that come with self-care are crucial. They are not just personal matters but also lead to higher productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
We all need to understand and appreciate the need for balance and regulation in our professional lives.
Women bring this essential element to the workplace. I really value the ability to honor your words.
Integrity is most important, no matter who you are or where you come from. Can I see and feel those signs of integrity within the conversation and process?
Q: If we’re talking about another side of the business, what aspects of your business do you believe attract top talent? And what would constitute a successful hire for you in a year?
What would attract them is that there’s fair competition and no barriers in the gender equity and diversity arena, and it’s about who you are, what you’re passionate about, and finding that match within the organization. To me, that’s why people would want to come.
Milestones, where an individual can significantly affect the business, include performing their job effectively and contributing to its improvement. They should feel they have a voice and a sense of belonging in the company. Their contributions should be seen as assets, both as a person and through their work.
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