Great business leaders are not hindered by demographics such as age and gender, according to the boss of a Manchester property company.
Michelle Rothwell founded urban regeneration firm Watch This Space out of “unconditional love for transforming ordinary spaces into amazing places”.
She told BusinessCloud that self-belief is key to allowing people to respect you as a leader – whether you are male or female, young or old.
“There’s a perception that age and gender makes a difference in leadership, but I don’t believe that,” she said.
“You need belief in yourself and the skills to back up your leadership to give people confidence so you can be respected as a leader.
“I think being a leader is in your genes. That said, you can always improve and learn.”
New mum Rothwell – who once ran 87 miles from London to Dover before swimming the English Channel and cycling 187 miles to Paris – agrees that one way to improve is to take feedback on board from colleagues and peers.
However she says it is important to stay true to yourself – something echoed by fellow speaker Will Fletcher of Recycling Lives.
“From working with good leaders and now heading my own business up, I would say that to be a good leader, you need to listen to others, take everybody’s comments on board but ultimately, it’s about having the strength to make your decision and not just following the pack,” she added.
“To lead you need to have the conviction and the courage to do it your own way.”
From the boardrooms to the sports field; from politics to health; from education to the emergency services; strong leadership can be the difference between success and failure.
BusinessCloud has teamed up with Themis and CascadeGo HR software for our latest breakfast event at Burnley College about the art of leadership and where the leaders of the future are coming from.
What makes a good leader? Are you born a natural leader or is it something you learn? Do age and gender make a difference when it comes to leadership?
These are just some of the questions that BusinessCloud and Themis’ ‘The Secret of Leadership’ breakfast event will tackle. Radio 5 Live controller Jonathan Wall is among the speakers.
On 18th October, BusinessCloud will then team up with Watch This Space to hold our second ‘Property hotseat’ event at That Space.
Following the success of our evening with former Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein and Will Lewis of OBI Property, we welcome the former England rugby coach Brian Ashton MBE to Manchester.
Ashton, who came within 10 points of guiding England to the 2007 World Cup, is now in demand as a motivational, leadership and teamwork speaker.
A natural communicator, he will share his insights into what motivates individuals and what makes or breaks a team.