Beyond Pink is an annual conference hosted by Young Women in Business (YWiB) and brings together 200 emerging female leaders in an engaging space. This year the theme was ‘Disrupt to Construct: Redefine the Possible’ – an opportunity to shift the perspective of our own success.
The two-day conference was a crash course in self-realization of your own potential, an inspiring reality check of how we’re often our own barrier, and day two progressed into looking at the future from a starkly fearless perspective.
The list of speakers and attendees brought together Canada’s most transformational female leaders: Faye Wightman (CEO, Vancouver Foundation), Janet Austin (CEO, YWCA), Rachel Lewis (COO, Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Tori Holmes (Mobify), Barb Ross-Denroche (The Refinery Leadership) – just to name a few.
It is difficult to materialize into words everything that was said and learned during the 2-day manifestation of ideas, relationships, and passion pursuits. Here are a few of my most memorable “ah-ha” moments from the panel sessions, workshops, and conversations:
Character is your most important resume piece.
Knowing who you are is often hard to define as a university student, but knowing who you are not can be a lot easier. Never challenge your integrity or your authenticity because character builds your life, not just your career.
Show up for the position you want, not the one you have.
Capture every opportunity you have to do more than what is expected of you and always build your goals and subsequent actions around the career you desire. Be proactive and conscious when chasing your dreams and think about why you want something – not just the what.
Speak before being spoken to.
This is an important take-away for recent graduates who have or are entering the workforce. Never shy away from sharing your ideas in an active manner. Don’t wait until someone at the table asks for your thoughts; give yourself the freedom to say what you need to say.
For the ladies, wear heels!
A female leader is not a {fe}male leader. Becoming a leader is not about fitting a pre-defined mold and nudging your way into it. Be authentic. Be honest. Maintain integrity. Be yourself.
Failure redefines the possible.
If we don’t have fear of failure, it means we’re not challenging ourselves. Failure is natural and it will occur more often than not. Embrace that it’s a possibility but don’t let it limit your potential. As stated by one of the speakers (Amy Chan), “If things do not work out in the present, it’s because they’re meant to work out somewhere in the future”.
The final thought I will leave you with are a few words shared by Tori Homes who, at 21 years old, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and became the youngest woman to do so. During her excursion she survived through a hurricane and two tropical storms and later wrote a book about the mental journey of completing such a physically unbearable challenge. This quote she shared is a summation of how we should approach every challenge – resilient, knowing, and optimistic.
“The difficult you do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.”