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Ext. PublicationInside the Boardroom: Women in Leadership | Podcast
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More women are stepping into board roles, but the path to earning a seat at the table still comes with unique challenges. In this episode of Weaver: Beyond the Numbers, hosts Roshmi Dalal and Anna Stevens discuss what effective board leadership looks like, how confidence shapes executive presence and the signals that show someone is truly board‑ready. By the end of this conversation, listeners gain practical guidance for stepping into board service with clarity, purpose and impact.
Key Points:
- Women preparing for board leadership must develop confidence without defensiveness, speaking with clarity and intention once they’ve earned their seat.
- Executive presence grows from self‑awareness, clear communication and the ability to contribute meaningfully, without over‑ or under‑speaking in the room.
- Coaching prepares leaders for board service by pressure-testing decisions, role-playing difficult conversations and sharpening long-term strategic thinking.
Roshmi and Anna begin by highlighting how leadership shapes decision‑making in the boardroom. Anna recalls a former board chair who created meaningful space for each member to contribute, an approach she now models herself. The example highlights how emotional intelligence, active listening and awareness of group dynamics are essential traits of effective board members.
The discussion turns to the signals that show someone is ready for board service beyond technical experience. Anna explains that boards rarely face simple questions, requiring good judgment, long‑term perspective and composure under scrutiny. High performers often get stuck when they rely too heavily on their technical background rather than their ability to influence, read a room and consider impacts five, ten or fifteen years ahead. These qualities help ensure that board decisions support the future health of the organization, not just its immediate needs.
Finally, Roshmi and Anna explore how executive presence and coaching support a leader’s board journey. Confidence without defensiveness emerges as a defining marker of presence, especially for women. Anna shares how speaking with intention changed how others perceived you. “You don’t have to speak often to have presence,” she says, “but when you do speak, it needs to matter.” She also reiterates the value of coaching as a way to expose blind spots and strengthen self‑awareness. These practices help leaders communicate clearly, build credibility and bring a more expansive, enterprise‑level perspective to boardroom decisions.
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