Members of the CBA’s Women Lawyers Forum and others from across the country gathered in Halifax at the Leadership Conference for Professional Women on October 18-19. Conference participants heard a range of leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of the community share insight and advice on how to succeed in the face of challenges unique to women.
It is a rather serendipitous coincidence that 90 years earlier, the Edwards v Canada (Attorney General) [1930] A.C. 124 1929 UKPC 86 was decided by the Judicial Committee of the Imperial Privy Council. In this historic decision, five men—comprising Council, Lord Sankey, L.C, Lord Darling, Lord Merrivale, Lord Tomlin, and Sir L. Sanderson—acknowledged the status of women as persons.
Power was a consistent theme throughout the various challenging, insightful and inspiring discussions over the course of the conference. Eleanor Beaton, an expert in women’s leadership and the founder of the podcast Fierce Feminine Leadership, delivered the opening keynote address, Women of Influence: Presence, Power and Politics.
During the keynote, we were called to consider whether we had experienced feelings of being silenced around the figurative or literal table. While some have suggested it may be an issue of confidence, or leadership, Beaton instead insisted that it is one of power. When asked to consider what the ever-elusive “power” is, there seemed to be a general concurrence that power is recognition, it is being heard and valued. Beaton noted that power, as defined by Oprah, is to “impact with purposes.”
Beaton relayed a common experience to the audience: the experience of feeling a rush of heat after sharing your opinion in a professional setting, and thereafter remaining silent for the duration of the meeting. Beaton suggested that this response is scientific, caused by our evolutionary desire not to be heard or to draw attention to ourselves. What irony that the power of being heard can cause our silence. To remedy this instinctive reaction, Beaton has developed the following recipe for us to leverage our power and overcome the feeling of being silenced:
- Earn your power
- Own your power
- Share your power
In the stages of implementing this three-step plan, Beaton outlined the following steps:
- Have a hard WHY; Know what it is you want to achieve and the reason for doing it.
- Pick your values and practice them every day: Beaton shared hers— striving for professional excellence, fierce leadership, and 100% commitment to everything she does.
- Leverage your power: Recognize the power you have and use it to open doors for yourself, and for other women—whether that is through taking on new challenges and adding value to your role, influencing procurement, or taking on a mentee.
- Follow the power: Determine who is having the important conversations and making the decisions and become involved, positioning yourself to influence the outcomes.
Most importantly, Beaton suggests that when you are feeling that you are the only one who has lost your voice, find your coven; a group of “ride or die” women who understand your questions, your struggles and your wins.
A main take-away from Beaton’s address is that in order for us to fully realize our power, it’s not a solo expedition. We need to create a space for conversation, support, mentorship and growth—an environment almost perfectly manifested in this year’s Leadership Conference. At this year’s conference, power was earned, owned, shared and seized, the voices of women supporting women loud and clear.
Bridget Morriscey is an active WLF volunteer in the PEI Section. She works as a Contract and Insurance Advisor at the University of Prince Edward Island.