Listen to Leading Up: On Women in Leadership, How to Be a Positive Leader, and the Secret to Creating Your Own Luck

We’re in an unprecedented period in the history of the workplace, where hybrid work and the Great Resignation are causing widespread effects that every business leader needs to navigate. Employees continue to leave their roles in record numbers, and for many of those who stay, burnout and a lack of engagement are creating their own hurdles. 

This is particularly true when it comes to women in the workforce.  According to McKinsey, we’re in the midst of a “Great Breakup,” where women are demanding more from work and more of them are leaving their companies than ever to get what they want. Women in leadership are switching jobs at a higher rate than men in similar roles, and at a higher rate overall than we’ve ever seen before. This trend is significant because women are already underrepresented in leadership roles: of all Fortune 500 companies, only 8.8% have women CEOs. It’s hardly news that establishing greater gender diversity across leadership teams matters, in part because organizations with more diverse workforces and leadership teams see better business outcomes. For example, companies and executive boards with more gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity outperform their less diverse peers on profitability, according to McKinsey. 

So what can leaders do to counteract these trends — for all employees, including women in leadership roles? One approach that can move the needle on employee experience is positive leadership, which encourages, empowers, and energizes the workforce.  Positive leaders empower their employees through autonomy, ensuring they can acquire the skills they need to be successful. They employ emotional intelligence to demonstrate that they care for their employees and show compassion for their struggles. Overall, positive leaders champion and advocate for their employees, strive to create purpose in work for their teams, and set an example with their behaviors and positive approach.

When the leaders in question are women, what can they do to successfully manage their own careers alongside those of their teams? In the premiere episode of Udemy’s Leading Up podcast, Melanie Weaver Barnett, Chief Executive Education Officer at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, talks to podcast host Alan Todd, Vice President and General Manager of Udemy Business, about positive leadership in a hybrid world, how to make your own luck, and how leaders should support women in business.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What it means to make your own luck [7:31]
• The principles of positive organization scholarship [11:40] 
• The advantages and disadvantages of communicating in the hybrid workplace [13:53]
• What positive leaders can do to engage and energize people [15:25]
• Ways leaders can help connect people to meaning in work [22:19]
• How gender diversity is good for business [28:00]
• Advice for women early in their careers [32:51]
• Why being an intentional learner is essential for your career development [33:55]
• Why you need to ask for what you want for your career [40:16]

Listen to this episode — and all of our episodes — wherever you get your podcasts.