Wise women leaders like Kathleen Thurmond mentor, appreciate, and build inclusive and collaborative teams. I was fascinated to learn more about how she handled it when her dad suddenly had a stroke and she had to jump into the family business through this article on the Next Generation Revolution. I invited Kathleen present her story during my talk at the Women’s International Networking (WIN) Conference in Rome last October. The women were riveted by the daring and courage she displayed to tackle such a different company and industry. Kathleen loved carrying on her dad’s legacy. Over the years this wise leader made waves with new “greener” industry innovations that matched her core values and then knew when to let go and sold at the perfect time.
Kathleen is currently President of the National Association of Women Business Owners in San Francisco, and a graduate of the Wisdom Connection Next Octave Leadership Program, 2011. This final paragraph of the interview captures Kathleen’s feminine wisdom and mission in the world perfectly:
“I love mentoring women. I feel like I am here in the world and we as women are to lift each other up. Support each other in our businesses. Champion each other in what we hope to do and really to encourage each other to prosper in the world of business. It is not easy but it is much better for women now. With only 15% of women on corporate boards and 4% of women are Fortune 500 CEO’s, we still have a lot of work to do. It is inspiring to me when I see other women collaborating and working together to boost each other.”
Who are the wise women leaders you know? What matters the most to them?
Karen