In this exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Jenny Mitchell, the Chief Visionary Officer of Chavender, shares her powerful insights on empowering women to step into leadership roles and break through the barriers that often hold them back. As a dynamic speaker, executive coach, and author, Jenny has worked with countless leaders to transform their mindset and leadership styles. In our conversation, she dives into key strategies for women to overcome internal and external perceptions, discusses the five pivotal pillars of successful leadership, and highlights the importance of sharing experiences to foster future generations of leaders. With her unique background and passion for championing female leadership, Jenny offers invaluable advice to women in business, encouraging them to trust their journey, invest in themselves, and always lead with purpose.
Interview by SK Uddin
Jenny Mitchell, DMA, CEC is the Chief Visionary Officer of Chavender where she works closely with leaders to change the world one mission at a time. She is also a dynamic speaker, executive coach, fundraising professional, host of the Underdog Leadership Podcast, and author of Embracing Ambition: Empowering Women to Step Out, Be Seen, & Lead.
How can women overcome internal and external perceptions that they are not fit for leadership roles, and what strategies have you seen work effectively?
Traditionally, leaders have been men. Therefore, female leaders will continue to be compared to their male counterparts because that is what is familiar. This creates an unconscious bias of what people are expecting a leader to look and sound like.
The reality is that people are slow to trust a new leader. And women from BIPOC communities will experience significantly more pushback. My advice is to double down on referencing your experiences and track record within your role. Use phrases like “In my 10 years working in the human resources field, I have found” or, “In research I’ve conducted, I see that other organizations approach it this way. I encourage us to look at the data before we make our decision.”
Female leaders will always benefit from addressing the stereotypes head on: speak slowly, and speak in the middle range of your voice. And beware of moving into “defense” mode. Women leaders tend to justify their positions, and explain themselves out of situations. Remember that you don’t have to answer right away, and you can always go back and ask follow up questions. Avoid taking defensive positions, and instead, work to interrupt or deflect others from that line of questioning.
What are the five key pillars that consistently play a role in the leadership journeys of women, and how can they be applied in real-world scenarios?
PERCEPTION BARRIERS
…that feeling that people don’t “see” you in a leadership role.
Get more comfortable speaking to your accomplishments. Speak to your years of expertise, and reference data and research to prove your points, especially if people don’t value your contributions.
2 EMBODIED ROLES
…when you lose track of your personal and professional identities, accepting the false reality that you must “always be on.”
Always trying to “prove” yourself in a role is exhausting. Do you feel resentful? It’s a red flag that you’re feeling underappreciated or undervalued.
3 EMBRACING CHALLENGE
…when you say yes to something you know absolutely nothing about. How hard can it be?
Just like lifting progressively heavier weights will make you stronger, taking on new roles and tasks will help you grow as a leader.
4 GLASS CLIFF ASSIGNMENTS
…when you are the “last chance” candidate for an organization because literally no one else would want the job.
Women are hired into organizations where there is great upheaval – financial, reputational or internal.
5 VISIONARY
…when all you see is potential and upside
The ability to see the future is your superpower and you have an incredible capacity to bring people along towards that vision.
Why is there an inherent need for more women in leadership to share their experiences, and how can this impact future generations of leaders?
When we share our stories of challenges and opportunities with others, the stories no longer have the same hold on us. By sharing stories, we can normalize the experiences we have had. Stories provide real life situational examples that are different from the leadership textbooks. First-person stories can help explain to others what it feels like to lead. With stories, and lived experiences, future generations of leaders will be better equipped to lead when they encounter challenges.
Leadership is never a straight line: the learning happens in many different ways. Storytelling requires us to reflect on our experience, and craft a narrative that puts into place all the pieces.
Stories also connect us to a shared experience. Oral history was the way humans shared knowledge and information for centuries. When someone shares a first-person story, research tells us that the brain reacts by “imagining themself right there in the story.” They are walking alongside the storytelling, having their own experience. This is a powerful tool for future leaders. They have the opportunity to see situations through the eyes of other leaders.
Can you share more about why you’re so passionate about working with and championing female leaders, and what personal experiences have shaped this passion?
We are experiencing a fundamental paradigm shift in leadership. Gone are the top-down, authoritarian styles of leadership where the boss is always right. Being smart is not enough. Organizations have access to more data than they could have ever imagined possible. Employees want to feel connected and hopeful when they walk into work.
Women are perfectly positioned – because of their collaborative leadership style – to lead in this new environment. Today’s problems are more complex, and will most likely not be solved by one person alone. Collaborative and creative leadership becomes incredibly important. Women’s brains are biologically wired to look at challenges holistically – research tells us that the two hemispheres of their brains contain significantly more interconnectedness than men’s brains. This creates more variety in solutions development.
I credit my years of experience as a professional musician as the source of my creative skills. As a musician, you develop your own approaches and work ethic. It is an outcomes-based practice: listeners don’t see the hours of practice, they only hear the final product at the concert. As a musician, I considered myself “self-led” and I constantly demanded more efficiency from myself towards my own definition of success.
What final advice or thoughts would you like to share with small and medium-sized business owners, particularly women leaders, as they navigate their leadership journeys?
I have never gone wrong betting on myself. Whether it’s going out on your own in business, putting your name in the hat for a promotion, or choosing to take more time for maternity leave because you “just have a feeling it’s right,” I say choose you.
No one knows what is best for you. And while most people are well- intentioned, they may not have your best interests at heart. Make space in your life for reflection, and ask yourself the big questions in life: what’s important to me? Who do I want to be when I grow up? What do I stand for?
And don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and your business. In general, women play small when compared to the risks that men take with their businesses. Keep stretching just outside your comfort zone. That’s where the learning happens.
Disclaimer:
CanadianSME Small Business Magazine is committed to providing insightful interviews that highlight the successes and challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses. The views expressed in this interview are those of the guest and may not reflect the opinions of the magazine or its affiliates
