Women Leaders Must Support Each Other - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 154

experiences, fears, and promises. This bond leads to the emergence of a bril-
liance and insight that none of these women alone could have inspired [8] . This
can lead to empowering supportive relationships in the professional and per-
sonal environments. According to a research study by UCLA [7] , the type of
bonding that comes from female fusion benefits is good for our professional,
emotional, and physical well-being. This is not a social or networking activ-
ity but interaction specifically aimed at improving a woman's life. Thus, every
woman in the group must have a goal to improve an aspect of her life. The
format for this female fusion is not rigid but does have some structure. The guid-
ance for a female fusion event includes the following:

Keep it simple l

Three or more women (10 maximum) l

Two to four hours of uninterrupted time for the first Female Fusion

l

A goal for the Fusion (i.e., establishment of a revised career vision) l

Creation of a safe environment by agreeing on the following: l

1. How to offer advice. Only when asked for? Or openly and freely?

2. A confidentiality agreement. An informal agreement or simple document
that every woman signs.

The truth of the matter is that many women would eagerly welcome an invi-
tation for a Female Fusion event given the documented loneliness that many
women experience as they acquire leadership positions and career distinction.
The fusion exercises include your most audacious desire ( Figure 7.2 ), your per-
sonal promises and the fusion circle, all designed to bring out the strengths,
affirm, and move the women forward.

Recognize That Your Leadership Role Can Impact Other Women
Women leaders should have an active role in demonstrating support for other
women and showing that other women support us. Just as a woman leader has
the right to expect support from her cause or organization, she has a duty to offer
support to other women leaders, both established and aspiring. Mutual respect
and understanding of the difficulties each one faces should form the basis of this
support. In her topic The Difference “Difference” Makes , Muzette Hill states
very eloquently, “That's when difference makes a difference. When every 'first'
makes it her business to guarantee that there will be a second. When we use
our success, leadership and influence to support each other to affect change
both inside and outside our organizations so that the definition of leadership is
enlarged to embrace all of us - that's when difference makes a difference.” [7]
Imagine someone you care about - your mother, daughter, niece, sister, or
best friend - being in a leadership position. How would you like the world
to view her and respond to her role? Would you like her to be viewed as an
exception to the rule? Or for them to believe that women still are only entitled
to a limited role to play in the leadership process? Or instead would you like
for them to think of her as an individual who, through her leadership skills,