Dean Okianer Dark-“Kick and Sway”

In her lecture about women’s leadership, Dean Okianer Dark started with a discussion of the characteristics of leaders. She emphasized that while many people believe that all leaders are charismatic and influential, there are many other forms of leaders. When leading a group or an organization, women face a variety of challenges. Some of the challenges that were identified include greater scrutiny and double standards. Despite these challenges, Dean Dark encouraged that these skills are crucial for successful leadership.

There are a variety of important skills leaders need to be successful. These skills include listening and helping to manage and mediate conflicts that can arise within the team. Skilled leaders also reward team members for their hard work regardless of the outcome. Celebrating failure is sometimes more valuable than celebrating successes because it allows members of the team to learn from their mistakes and learn to take calculated risks.

Finally, is imperative to practice courage on a daily basis. If not practiced regularly, it is hard to assemble it for when you encounter an extraordinarily difficult situation. Furthermore, it is important to practice speaking in a large group, because speaking in front of a large audience is inevitable. To conclude, Dean Dark reiterated the words of one of the participants, that “courage is not the absence of fear, it’s what you do while you experience that fear.”