Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World

PREFACE

Real Women, Real Leaders is a compilation of stories from some of the most successful women working today. We have identified women who are known to be transformational, exemplary leaders in their industries, everything spanning from business to politics, education to the arts. We have taken the opportunity to look at their stories, in their own words, and see how they have been able to find success across a wide range of industries in which women have traditionally been either excluded from or disempowered within. Through their eyes, we see stories of inspiration and strength, and we want to make sure that every woman reading has access to the role models and strategies that these women present.

To this end we have framed the book around the pivotal work of two extraordinary researchers, Dr. Jack Zenger and Dr. Joseph Folkman (full research article is reprinted in an appendix). Zenger and Folkman believe that a strengths-based leadership development model is the most effective way for businesses to amplify their organizational impact. Through this research, they defined sixteen key competencies that are crucial characteristics for inspirational leadership. “On twelve of sixteen competencies, females were rated more positively by the total of all respondents—manager, peers, direct reports, and others” (A Study in Leadership: Women Do It Better Than Men, Harvard Business Review).

As the data began to roll in, Zenger and Folkman started to notice a number of interesting trends ...