Insight, Passion & Compassion

I believe these are the three most important qualities of the modern entrepreneur. I was always surrounded by a sea of men who were leading with ROI and dotting their ‘i’s’ and crossing their ‘t’s’. I was always told there was no room for emotion in the boardroom. So, what’s a girl to do? Conform to the leadership style that was historically rewarded with success? Or follow my heart and be myself, bringing passion and compassion to the workplace and putting people at the centre? There were so few women at the top back then that most conformed to the rules. I came to realise Sarah Jessica Parker was right when she said, ‘Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman’.

I knew I had to be me. It’s not about being female and male. It’s not even about being feminine or masculine. It’s about having a balance of both regardless of who you are. Every one of us has a combination of masculine and feminine qualities. Instead of suppressing our feminine qualities because society may believe them to be of less value, I believe we need to tap into those qualities personally and professionally as our source of power.

It’s a power that comes from being connected to our true self. The definition of your own femininity that carves out your unique feminessence is going to be different for everyone and defining femininity for yourself is an individual path. For me, femininity is about having a strength that I define as ‘grace with grit’.

I call it the ‘feminine principle’. ‘Business as usual’ has traditionally been dominated by masculine qualities, while denying and undervaluing feminine capacities. The prevailing business culture is hypermasculine and holds most feminine qualities in contempt. Masculine ambitious energy is characterised by greed, power, self-centricity, ego, fear, insecurity and anger. This frictional energy is what caused the problems in the global economic crisis.

To become balanced, integrated and, yes, successful, organisations of all kinds need to value and cultivate feminine energies and qualities within their cultures. Feminine values may get lip service but often very little respect. Women in business are expected to be more like a man. Strength is seen as unfeminine, because if you are a strong woman, you are not feminine, but if you are feminine you are considered weak.

I feel so strongly about the feminessence movement. I am proud to be the launching Brand Ambassador and to be here sharing my thoughts with you through the pages of this magazine. Women already have a great deal of power in the world, but they don’t always recognise it. So, if this movement can allow them to step into the power they already have, they can bring about rapid and wide-ranging global change. Twenty years ago, there was only one female CEO running a Fortune 500 company. There are now thirty-seven. The trajectory is encouraging!

I believe a truly conscious leader can call on positive masculine and feminine qualities regardless of their gender. I feel that this is the movement we’ve all been longing for, where leaders will stand tall and be proud to own their innate feminine capacities, which will in turn be valued and rewarded. I believe it’s our corporate responsibility as conscious leaders.

It’s at the very core of all we do at LYBL (Live

Your Best Life). Our mission is empowering you to live your best life – no matter who you are.

This movement will bring with it a force for good amongst people, business and the community collective. So, let your wisdom and intuition guide you. Be generous of heart and be dedicated in the highest way. Put humanity before profit and you will build the most successful business and life for yourself. It’s our birthright to live our best life.

Be all that you are. Living your best life is your most important journey.

I look forward to the day when our paths cross, so we get to celebrate your every effort on this planet.

Michele Jones