Does your organization have good leadership? Here’s how to make it great.

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Every organization, every company, every person deserves the tools to thrive.

Every great leader knows their success starts and ends with their team. And building a great team requires identifying talent and potential in every person—no matter their gender identity—and ensuring they have all the tools and support they need to succeed. And while all this is true, not every leader knows where to start when it comes to creating an inclusive, equitable workplace culture. Interested to learn how you can help your team thrive? Outspoken speaker Paula Stone Williams can help.

As an internationally known speaker on gender equity and organizational leadership, Paula helps increase any team's success with her expertise in honing in individual talent, identifying leaders, and giving them the tools to be their best.

Paula writes about the measure of a good leader, highlighting how differentiation can make all the difference. Differentiation refers to the process of looking at a situation objectively and separating thoughts from feelings. She says, “When you are able to set aside your positional power and truly listen to criticism, there is a good chance you are a differentiated leader. To truly listen to criticism, however, means listening without conscious or subconscious manipulation.”

She breaks down the signs of a differentiated leader, as well as what not to do if you want to do what’s best for your team. She says the differentiated leader:

  • Never retaliates.

  • Never leads by consensus.

  • Never leads by a strong hand.

  • Never micromanages.

    But, instead, they do:

  • Operate in the middle, between dictatorship and democracy.

  • Provide a clear frame of reference, articulating core values.

  • Clarify objectives.

  • Take clearly and non-reactively defined positions.

  • Do not triangulate by bringing a third person into a two-person conversation.

  • Identify the maps from which they navigate and are open to changing those maps when they lose effectiveness.

In addition to her advice on the importance of differentiation, Paula explains the value of empowered women in the workplace and actionable steps to achieve true equity, as well as how replicating female leadership styles can actually improve organizational effectiveness. Paula's talks and training empower employees and help leaders everywhere level up their understanding of how to instill a workplace culture that celebrates diversity and stands up against discrimination.

And in case you forgot: Trans Day of Visibility is coming up on March 31. What better way to truly honor the trans community than by supporting employees and creating inclusive spaces for all?

Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.