Women’s group gets ready for New Year

By Madhuri Bandla

Thomas Rajan, Managing Director of Global Talent Strategy and People Development at American Airlines, addressed the Lean-In circle of Flower Mound at Sip, Stir Coffee House in Highland Village in December.

Rajan offered good nuggets of advice on how to get ready for 2019. He said while most of us are all set to move ahead and accelerate our careers, we also need to “wait” and assess our potential and development from within before taking a leap.

Some of the performance measures he discussed, were to assess three layers of Ability which include IQ, CQ and RQ. IQ (Intellectual Quotient) is the intellectual abilities needed to perform a particular job; CQ (Capability Quotient) is the willingness and capability to actually perform it; RQ (Relationship Quotient) is the thread that binds the other two quotients. It is the ability to connect and network with people to get the job done.

The next measure is Adaptability which he said is the ability to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, develop a new skill if needed and to be flexible in our approach. The third measure is Availability. Time is the currency of leadership and managing time and having an efficient calendar is key to performance management.

Rajan initiated an interactive discussion based on his personal career journey which was well-received, with many Lean-In members sharing their experiences as well.

The Lean-In circle of Flower Mound is a nonprofit group that connects women with shared goals of pursuing dreams without biases, barriers or limiting beliefs.

The Lean-In circle is based on Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In book and mission to support women and build a strong community to share insights and build skills.

Lean In of FM meets once every month (except over summer) to have an interactive discussion and group activities to foster personal development. The end goal is to help women become better versions of themselves by leaning in and learning from each other.

Watch for more information on Lean In’s Back To Work conference targeted toward women who are entering the workforce after a gap of 10 years or more. Lean in of Flower Mound has an active Facebook group for more information.