Don’t underestimate the power of the visible leader

COMMENT Watching our 12 Future Female Leaders deliver short, visionary speeches, I was reminded of the importance of visibility in leadership. Just four months ago, when the Future Female Leaders first met the Ginger Public Speaking team, these were ladies you would describe as “top talent”. They were high-achieving leaders with significant experience in their field and plenty of ambition to make an impact through their careers, but with almost no public profile. Much like women more broadly in real estate, they were largely invisible. We set out to change that, and in doing so, to build a pool of female leaders who have the confidence and charisma to represent the industry. Watch the Future Female Leaders’ speeches >> But for most leaders, male and female, it’s not as simple as shoving them on stage. Public speaking remains one of the most feared professional activities. I get it. Public speaking is nerve-wracking and time-consuming to prepare for. We tell ourselves someone else would do a better job. Our tummies turn at the thought of the glaring spotlight. We shudder at the effort it takes to put together a passable conference talk. The challenge But for the Future Female Leaders, we weren’t just looking for passable talks. We had our sights set on thought-leading, inspiring, TED-style talks. Ginger challenged them: 1. To find one idea to focus their talk around (it’s harder than you think). 2. To speak with their personality, rather than pretending to be some kind of hyper-polished motivational speaker. 3. To bring their ideas alive with stories, props and potent visuals, rather than the traditional PowerPoint presentation. And what’s more, they’d be doing this to a live audience of hundreds. Filmed. And with no notes. It was a challenge that was deliberately stretching, so the group would make radical leaps forward in their visibility. If they could do this, they could do anything. Putting them through their paces on day one, we started to worry. There were a lot of nerves in the room and it was clear that many had never thought about developing their own headline idea. But as we progressed, something amazing started to happen. As they relaxed, their charisma, personality and humour started to show. Ideas that they’d initially put forward more as questions became opinions that were asserted. They researched and deepened their views. Now they had substance and thought leadership. They stopped wavering in their body language and started to look like leaders. We began to hear about changes in the workplace too. The Future Female Leaders were speaking up in meetings like they hadn’t done before. They were attracting attention in their workplace; being put forward to speak; being followed and amplified on social media. And hundreds of people, attracted by the buzz, were subscribing to the Future Female Leaders showcase evening. A powerhouse team Arriving to meet the Future Female Leaders on their big night, I was shocked and impressed to see a group that had noticeably grown in stature since we met. Here was a powerhouse team of leaders who were excited and ready. Ready to claim their stage. Ready to talk about something they care about. And ready to be role models for all the other women who will follow in their footsteps. They weren’t fazed by the long queue of audience members trying to get a seat, nor the bright lights shining in their eyes. They’d done the hard work and they were going to make damn sure they took the opportunity. And wow, they did just that. Rossella Nicolin of AECOM clearly loved the spotlight as she opened the evening with joy and energy. Whether it was brainy Sandeep Dhillon of the Cabinet Office, the deeply credible Kathryn Cripps of Knight Frank, the inspirational Manreet Randhawa of Nuveen, or each of the others who followed, I was left thinking, “YES! Give her the mic.” Each female leader brought clear, inspiring ideas to the table in a way that best suited their personality. And each used their own creativity to step away from the usual soul-destroying conference presentation. The power of visibility It was an evening both of personal wins and of huge benefit being transferred to our audience. We couldn’t be prouder. But there’s a bigger picture here – and that’s the power of visibility. In just four months, 12 Future Female Leaders had gone from the shadows to the spotlight. They are now visible thought leaders who can guide the future of real estate in diversity, sustainability, digital transformation and beyond. Their careers, companies and the industry will benefit. And maybe, just maybe, the world will benefit too. This is the power of visible leaders. Sarah Lloyd-Hughes is founder and chief executive of Ginger Public Speaking