“Thought leadership” has officially found its place in the content marketing buzz word hall of fame. With more brands trying to become thought leaders, there are now countless resources on how to become a thought leader (some better than others!). But what many of these resources fail to address is why thought leadership is so important these days and how to rise above the noise.
In more than 20 years as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) I have seen the difference between effective and ineffective leadership first-hand. And while the names and organizations may vary, the professional attributes and character traits largely do not. There is a core set of characteristics that makes the top CROs the best at what they do.
The pandemic hit many industries and demographics hard, but some shouldered the burden more than others. Women, especially working mothers, were overwhelmingly negatively affected.
In fact, the 2020 Women in the Workplace report revealed that 25% of working women and over 30% of mothers with young children were “contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce” with mothers citing increased domestic and child-care responsibilities as their primary motivation for doing so. The study summarized,
“Women in particular have been negatively impacted. Women—especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. The pandemic has intensified challenges that women already faced. Working mothers have always worked a ‘double shift’—a full day of work, followed by hours spent caring for children and doing household labor. Now the supports that made this possible—including school and childcare—have been upended. Meanwhile, Black women already faced more barriers to advancement than most other employees. Today they’re also coping with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community.”
While these challenges impact women individually, the cumulative effect of women leaving the workforce significantly affects the companies they work for as well.
So, how can B2B companies keep women among their ranks and on their leadership teams?
Did you notice the traditional year-end business predictions for 2021 never happened at the end of 2020? This seasonal staple was thrown out the window, like many of our routine practices last year.
Everyone seemed more focused on making it through the year than trying to anticipate what might be coming next. (With everything that January threw at us, perhaps that was a wise decision!)
However, now that we are firmly into 2021, it seems a little safer to look forward. With that comes an increased focus on tackling difficult leadership challenges to move organizations forward.
To succeed in 2021, business leaders must steer teams away from an unhealthy focus on the past, reconcile employee desires with business needs, establish new revenue models, acquire new customers using different methods, and amend strategic planning initiatives.
Each day your business is evaluated by potential buyers, people using social media, publishers, critics, competitors, and employees. In the new world of media, much is revealed… for better or for worse.
There is an opportunity to be nominated for an award, but as people look at the opportunity, they are not able to think of any company or person who “deserves” the award. Or they might be thinking “Nominations take time and effort. No person or company I can think of is worth that much effort”.
Here are examples of awards you can be nominated for – or you can nominate another:
There are many associations and chambers of commerce that offer annual awards to recognize the outstanding achievements. Those people or businesses who receive awards are rewarded… with more business. People like doing business with those who have achieved success.
Some will not care about the award in and of itself as they serve not for fame but for purpose (and profit). They still recognize awards as a symbol of how their team is serving well.
Below are questions to ponder and answer. Use this opportunity to “raise the bar” with the mindset of “Good enough today is not good enough tomorrow.” The thoughts below will help you move your “good” to a new level.
