1. . The Effortless Book Club Presented by Susan Davis-Ali, PhD

2. How Remarkable Women Lead By Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston

3. This Book Begins as a Midlife Crisis There were no fireworks on Joanna Barsh’s 50 th b-day

4. At the age of 50 the author asked herself, “Is this all there is to my career?” “Other women surely had gone further, had done more, were happier.” “They had more sparkle – in every way, they were better at life.” “I wanted to meet them, and I wanted to know what they knew.” ► Thus began a five year journey called the Centered Leadership Project

5. Her Vision Became Her Obsession Her vision was to bottle the magic! To compile an archive of interviews with top women leaders. To find common themes. To create a roadmap for leadership that could be passed on to the next generation of women.

6. Themes Emerged Women had help on their leadership journeys. They were helped by everybody, but especially by senior men who stuck out their necks to create opportunities. They were plugged into their community, drawing strength from their connections. They were completely without fear. They were not held back by self-doubt, second-guessing, or perfectionism.

7. Another Important Revelation The women that they interviewed saw work-life balance for what it is – “an unattainable goal.” Instead, the women have adapted to a life on managed disequilibrium – a fluid and dynamic approach to life. The women leaders with children love their children and they love their work. Accepting the and filled them with energy.

8. Centered Leadership Centered is taking risks without losing your balance. Centered is feeling grounded, strong, and flexible. It’s good to feel centered.

9. Big Picture: The Five Dimensions of Centered Leadership 1. Meaning 2.Framing 3. Connecting 4. Engaging 5. Energizing

10. Dimension 1: Meaning ► Happiness, core strengths, purpose Meaning is a defining trait among leaders. When asked what the most important factors are in choosing a job and staying in it, women consistently cite the meaningful elements of the work. “To love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?” - The late Katherine Graham, the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

11. Finding Meaning in Your Work You can turn almost any job into your calling if it draws on your core strengths, engages you fully, and inspires you. The day-to-day variety of meaningful activities and interactions are just as good as the earth-shattering ones. When you feel your heart race, and you look forward to activities at work with anticipation, you’ll know you’ve found meaning.

12. Tips for Taking Action Most people spend their life shoring up weaknesses. Put aside your plans to fill in areas of weakness and focus on your core strengths. Identifying your core strengths will lead you to activities that offer you a chance at deep meaning and happiness. Ask the people who know you best what they see as your core strengths. Use tools that can help you identify your core strengths (Such as Tom Rath’s Strengths Finder).

13.  Dimension 2: Framing ► Self awareness, learned optimism, adaptability Framing is not about putting on rose-colored glasses, but actually about seeing the world without distortion. Women who have a positive frame also have flexible mind-set. They believe they are in control of their futures, that they can influence the outcome, learning and growing. Optimism (positive framing) correlates with success. Most of the women leaders declared themselves optimists and realists.

14. Positive Framing Can Be Learned For some women, positive framing comes naturally. But for many others, acquiring a positive frame requires unlearning deeply embedded behaviors such as snap judgment, anxiety, and fear. True reality is often better than our perception of reality. Do you ever see a situation worse than it really is?

15. Tips for Taking Action Make re-framing a conscious act. You can’t wish yourself into a positive frame. You have to work at it. Work to consciously separate how you experienced the incident emotionally from what actually happened. Act as your own devil’s advocate and argue the other side. Challenge the beliefs and assumptions and re-examine the facts. When difficult stuff happens, give your brain and body some relief. Take time for a healthy distraction. “Sometimes reframing doesn’t help you fix the situation. Those are times when reality just bites.”

16. Dimension 3: Connecting ► Inclusiveness, Reciprocity, Network, Sponsorship Virtually all the women leaders in the project concur that connectedness has been essential to their rise and to their sense of deeper fulfillment. The data show that people with strong networks and mentors enjoy more promotions, higher pay, and greater work satisfaction. “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone. Whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life – all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. - Sandra Day O’Connor, former US Supreme Court justice

17. Connections are Critical to Advancement Building relationships is part of your day job. Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy says, “One of the most important ways to be a successful leader is actually to create an army of people who are rooting for you.”

18. The Art and Science of Leadership The Art of Relationships “Listen, listen, listen. It’s about getting to the point where you have some understanding of what motivates the other person. It’s not about what motivates you.” Amanda West Chief Innovation Officer Thomson Reuters The Science of Inclusion Women are naturals at relationship-building. Evolutionary biologists trace this capability to women’s prehistoric roles, and women in business can benefit from this hard-wiring.

19. Begin Today “You can’t build a network when you need it. Then it’s too late. You have to build it before.” - Carolyn Buck Luce, Senior leader at Ernst and Young, LLP

20. Dimensions 4 and 5: A Preview 4. Engaging5. Energizing Successful leaders take ownership for opportunities along with risks. They have a voice and they use it. They are also able to face down their fears. To succeed long-term and to accommodate family and other responsibilities, women leaders learn to mange their energy reserves and to tap into flow.

21. You’ll enjoy this book if… If you like reading brief stories about a variety of successful women (with lots of direct quotes included), you’ll enjoy this book. If you like reading leadership books based on data/studies, you’ll enjoy this book. The methodology of the study is included in the appendix if you’re interested. If you like a book that read more like a roadmap and less like a novel, you’ll enjoy this book.