BROKEN OPEN: UNLOCKING AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP THROUGH FEMININE INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The author is a leadership expert/coach, former attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, and adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. She believes that authentic leadership “emerges…when we allow ourselves to break open, transcending rigid constructs to embrace qualities like empathy, vulnerability, intuition, and interconnectedness.” She writes that this “constitutes feminine intelligence, a universal strength that empowers leaders, irrespective of gender, to engage meaningfully with their teams, communities, and broader society.” She discusses her personal example of transformation from the world of corporations and elite law firms to her more recent roles in philanthropy and a member of the Advisory Board of the Earth Law Center. She describes in detail five “Practical Strategies to Cultivate Feminine Intelligence.” In her words, they are: 1, Commit to Continuous Self-Reflection. 2. Encourage and Model Vulnerability. 3. Lead with Empathy and Compassion. 4. Cultivate Deep and Inclusive Listening. 5. Redefine Success With Holistic Metrics. She also taps into the 20th century wisdom of the mythologist and author Joseph Campbell and his idea of the hero’s journey; and the psychologist Carl Jung’s concept that “wholeness requires embracing both our inner masculine and feminine energies.”