Written by: Nancy Michieli, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
One of the most common questions I receive as a coach is “What is Feminine Energy?” For years we have been trained, coached, and taught to use more Masculine Energy in the corporate world. These masculine energies include; Confidence, Inner Strength, Discipline, Logic, Capability, and Assertiveness, to name a few. While there is a need to develop our Masculine, we as women must learn to engage our more Natural Feminine Energies.
The following are the Five (5) Feminine Energies I empower women to engage within their leadership practice:
Creativity
Creativity is the source of life. This life can be in the form of another human, or the business world, the source of a new idea, invention, or business. Women are physically designed to be the creators of life. This is one of the most natural feminine energies we have.
Here are a few tips to increase your creativity:
1. Connect with the arts - listen to music, draw, paint, dance, or read. The arts are all about connecting with creativity and expressing that.
2. Connect with nature - go out for a walk and see what mother nature has to offer. She is always changing with the season and weather. It may be the way the snowbank is created or the beautiful new flowers which have blossomed. Either way, take time to notice the differences daily.
3. Connect through play - we can get too busy to play, but learning how to play with others in a fun game is full of inspiration. Watch children when they play. You will notice how amazing their imagination is when they are having fun.
Intuition
Intuition is our internal knowing. It is a gut instinct, which helps guide us in our direction. Even when things seem logically right, your intuition may tell you differently. Unfortunately, we often follow the beliefs we have been taught. When we follow our intuition, it will generally lead us quicker in the right direction. It helps us make the right decisions faster in the workplace.
Here are the three types of intuition and how to connect with them:
Directional intuition - the ability to listen to your gut and determine the path your or your team should follow.
Informational intuition - the ability to analyze large amounts of information quickly to determine a promising action course.
Social intuition - the ability to read a person without a word being spoken by naturally picking up body language and verbal cues.
To connect and use your intuition better, engage in a practice of stillness. Take a few moments before or after a situation to sit and be still. Connect your mind with your body. How are you feeling? What is this feeling telling you? This requires practice, but the more you practice connecting with your intuition and your inner feelings, the better and faster you will use said intuition at a moment's notice. You will develop an inner trust, helping you make decisions faster and aligned with who you are.
Flow
Flow is considered one of the most efficient ways to get work accomplished. Often we get so caught up in responding and being available at a moment's notice that we lose out on productivity. Being in a state of flow for 90 minutes will help you complete actions faster and easier. As a leader, teaching yourself, your workers, family, and friends to give you 90 minutes of space will strengthen your ability to get more done, increase your self-esteem and provide you more time to be responsive to those around you.
How to get into a state of flow:
Inform others not to disturb you during this time.
Turn off any distractions - phones, messaging, emails.
Clear the space so you can work.
Set yourself a timer for 90 minutes and get to work.
This may seem uncomfortable at the start, but the more you do this, the more you will achieve. As a leader, this is a great tool to teach your team to be more effective and loosen the stigma of boundaries in the workplace.
Nurture
Women are known to be natural-born mothers, to nurture and develop the children of our future. Even if you are like me and have never fully developed motherly instincts, you may find that you still have the skill to nurture.
As a leader taking time to nurture your team to help them develop the skills aligned with their strengths will provide your business and project with better success. Take time to connect with each team member. Where do their individual strengths lie, and how can you help them develop the skills to achieve the results your business or organization needs?
Surrender
Surrender is the final key to the puzzle of success. This is probably the most uncomfortable Feminine Energy that I see high achieving women leaders struggle to achieve. To surrender is to place trust in others, to rely on and allow others on your team to succeed. An example is to go on vacation and allow and trust your team to function without your support.
To do this, you need to have developed good intuition and learned how to nurture your team. You know their strengths and your weaknesses. You become more open to possibilities by listening and supporting your team in their achievements.
The best part of learning how to surrender is that it provides you with the freedom to achieve greater things, share with others and truly step into your roles as a leader, not a doer.
As a High-Performing Feminine Leader, how do you connect with your feminine energy? How can you increase your creativity, intuition, flow, nurture, and ability to surrender to create increased results in yourself, your team, your business, or your organization?
Follow her Podcast Luv2bMe, on Instagram at nancymichieli, or take her free 60-Seconds to Boost Your Self-Esteem.
Nancy Michieli, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nancy Michieli is excited to launch a new movement Luv2bMe. She is inspiring women to boost their self-esteem to be more fun, flirty and fabulous to flourish in life and business. Nancy is a Certified Rapid Transformation Therapy Practitioner, Certified Holistic Life, Career and Executive Coach and Certified Consulting Hypnotist. As well, Nancy holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, her Diploma as a Certified Sommelier from the Canadian Professional Sommelier Association and loves to compete in American Ballroom 9 Dance with the charming husband. During a successful 25 year career as an Engineer, Project Manager and Leader in the Oil&Gas Industry, Nancy discovered that women in the male-dominated field succeed when they bring their feminine charm. Her mission is to help women fall in love with being women, engaging their elegant, assertive feminine energy to achieve their life dreams.
