What happens when you bring together women from all different jobs titles in the same industry together in room to discuss leadership? Connection, empowerment, and support.
The ForgeHER Confidence to Lead workshop series was designed to uplift women of the manufacturing industry and give them the skills they need to be successful and mentor other women (and men) along the way. The group consisted of 24 women from floor workers to Human Resources to executives. Each bringing their own story and unique perspectives of their time leading. Women who were starting their careers in the space to women who were looking to secure positions in the top levels of leadership.
The four-part series engaged participants from seven different companies and focused on career growth, conflict navigation, strategic communication, and developing self-assurance. Led by Dr. Tulinda Larsen, she helped the attendees navigate the complexities of different leadership styles, skills building, and facing imposter syndrome.
The first in the series was “Own You Career” where the women discovered their own unique workplace personality and strengths while assessing alignment between career goals and personal attributes. They also reviewed the statistics of women in manufacturing where women have made significant growth in numbers but are facing a promotability issues.
Next the women visited ways to “Navigate Conflict,” which in a study by Deloitte upwards of 80% of difficulties in organizations comes from strained relationships. While conflict does get a bad reputation there are instances where conflict is healthy and can produce results. Participants learned about the STABEN discussion tool and how to execute a SWOT analysis.
In the third workshop of the series “Speaking with Confidence” participants
took a journey to redefine vulnerability as a powerful catalyst for confidently navigating interpersonal relationships, decision making and ensuring presence in high-stake meetings. They also worked on skills to be heard as women have revealed that 62% felt their ideas were ignored unless it was repeated by a man.
The final workshop focused on how to “Build Self-Assurance”. Women overall have been burdened with the expectation to be perfect and if we do not check every box then they are not worthy. To help build confidence and overtake that voice inside that says “unless it’s perfect it’s not good enough,” they learned key action steps. They learned to “track it,” “see it,” and “ask for it”.
Throughout the series guest speakers were invited to lend their expertise such as Megan Ware, Natalie Moore, and Traci McQueen. These women provided their own unique story of their career paths, their struggles, and how they overcame obstacles. These relatable stories show that it is possible to succeed in any chosen industry.
The numbers do not lie with the final survey showing 100% of attendees would recommend the program to others and that UMA should offer a fall cohort. Described as “very helpful and uplifting,” “interactive, collaborative, and engaging,” who are we to deny our members. If you are interested in participating in our Fall cohort, please sign up with the interest form below and we will contact you when dates have been finalized.