Hillary Clinton. Janet Napolitano. Kathleen Sibelius. Nancy Pelosi.
As these high-profile women—along with many others achieving stature in traditionally male-dominated fields—demonstrate different leadership skills and styles, the Center for Leadership (CFL) in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU) has been researching the subject of women leaders and creating opportunities for their individual development.
Over the past four years, the center has conducted the Women-Led Businesses survey, looking at women-led, high-revenue companies in Florida. The data has provided compelling insight into how women balance work and family, and most recently, into the ways women-led businesses are continuing to thrive in tough economic times.
Research translates into practical program focused on competency.
Another study conducted by CFL identified five core competencies for effective leadership. The center used these competencies to develop and deliver the now highly successful Women on the Move: Advancing Authentic Leaders—an intense three-and-a-half day executive leadership development program, designed specifically for high potential female executives.
To date, 70 women from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Puerto Rico and the United States, representing sixteen corporations and government entities have completed the program.
Florence Modupe Oguntuase, special advisor on budget and economic planning, for the Lagos State Government in Nigeria, saw the sessions as an “opportunity for you to gain new insights of how to go about your business.”
According to Joyce Elam, executive dean of the business school and faculty director of Women on the Move, the program “provides women leaders the opportunity to learn about leadership best practices, and through self-assessments and experiential exercises to identify their unique strengths that enable them to best put these practices to work.”
The fifth offering of the program will take place November 9-12, 2009.
