"Inspire your teams and serve the people.
Set high standards for success.
Think beyond the role of a CEO"
These are some lessons you can learn from some of the top women in the US. Read on and be inspired!
The book Disrupt: Proud. Loud. Leading Without a Doubt, edited by Maria Beebe, president, Global Networks and Maya Escudero, secretary, Filipina Women's Network, features stories from some of the most successful women in America.
The San Francisco-based Filipina Women's Network which promoted the book is a non-profit professional association that works towards empowering women of Philippine ancestry worldwide.
The book Disrupt... is a collective synthesis of the 35 Filipina women's leadership experiences as they navigated the corporate cultures in the global workplace.
It was launched at the 11th Filipina Leadership Global Summit held in Manila, Philippines, in October 2014.
The contributing authors are recipients of FWN's 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award, and each chapter ends with their recommendations for aspiring women leaders.
The concluding chapter 'Synthesis' clusters the key tips into the following categories.
Here are some key tips for you to act upon:
1. Have a higher sense of purpose.
Cultivate a bigger sense of meaning.
You are here for a reason -- live with purpose and passion every day.
Follow your heart and work for something that is bigger than yourself.
Maintain a good connection with your ancestors and to the Divine.
2. Tap the deeper aspects of your own national culture.
Many Asian cultures are community-oriented and draw on deep traditions.
Embrace the positive aspects of your culture and tie your success to the success of those around you as well.
3. Build your sense of character and ethics.
Keep true to your core values but remain open to other viewpoints and possibilities.
Have courage, and resolve to go forward even when risk is involved.
Keep your promises and maintain a good reputation.
4. Know yourself and work on transforming yourself.
Look within and examine why you want to lead.
Choose a career which brings out the passion in you.
Cultivate the art of positive thinking.
Walk with confidence and carry yourself with pride.
5. Exceed expectations, and excel in whatever you do.
Whenever you aim for perfection, you may find it is a moving target.
Adapt to new challenges and keep excelling in every domain you enter.
6. Lead for impact.
Inspire your teams and serve the people.
Set high standards for success.
Think beyond the role of a CEO: You should be seen as a management role model, an oracle, as well as an icon for those who wish to ascend to the top.
7. Give back to society.
Give back to the next generation, and give back to the less fortunate and under-privileged.
Share stories, they are important in inspiring others.
Bring others along with you in your journey; share the lessons you have learned and create pathways for others to work for their own successes.
Give back starting from today, right now: civic engagement happens in the present, not when you retire.
"These leadership tips and themes show how a holistic interpretation of leadership rooted in the local as well as global can help Diaspora communities develop their own internal and external dialogues to succeed as leaders," the editors Beebe and Escudero explain.
Globalisation will continue to add and blend leadership perspectives of regions ranging from the Americas and Europe to Africa and Asia.
The book includes fascinating stories of Filipina women leaders in the Philippines and diverse parts of the world, including the US, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Brazil and Canada.
Many had humble and simple beginnings in life, but later became achievers in their professional fields and broke glass ceilings.
They challenged cultural and political biases, and along the way learned to embrace the best of Asian and Western values and traditions.
Lead image used for representational purposes only.
Photo: Steve Wilson/Creative Commons
