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Jenny has effectively used her technical background as a Chemical Engineer and her dynamic inter-personal skills to motivate and lead teams across commercial and operational functions, holding many Vice President and Director roles. She is consistently recognized as a change agent and has taken leadership roles throughout many corporate mergers, acquisitions, and re-engineering efforts for domestic and international projects.
What was the inspiration behind the book?
By the Author Jenny Fisher:
Everyone should have an exciting and rewarding job. It's painful to see people that look at work as a means to a paycheck, eagerly waiting for 5pm or the weekend to find enjoyment in their lives. Unfortunately many employees in Corporate America are working for a paycheck because they find their jobs to be filled with wasted time or uninspiring activities. Most companies have a very limited and traditional definition of "work", which is typically defined as an endless series of days that have a primary focus in one subject area or department. This traditional and limited definition is at the core of our boredom. We have access to so much information, increasing demands of our time, and growing interests and talents we want to explore, and this traditional definition of work does not allow us the ability to personalize our requirements or our development needs to grow as individuals.
What if we took this traditional definition of work, and re-defined work as being "a series of projects that maximized our creativity and talents"? A project-based approach allows us to think in terms of short-term deliverables, which increases our focus and the value we bring to ourselves and the organization. To maximize our creativity and talents, we need to build a more humanistic approach to our leadership, one that provides support and inspiration in our workplaces.
I created the principles in The Feminine Side of Leadership to focus on the three core areas that a leader can use to inspire and engage employees:
- The Personal Attributes of the Leader: A leader needs to develop a good balance between exercising their authority and nurturing their team. If done well, the leader can create a high-level of respect and trust with others and be empowered to get the job done. The chapters in the book which guide a leader in this area include: "Assume Authority", "Practice Kindness", "Emanate Strength", and "Lead from the Heart"
- The Growth & Development of the Employee: When a leader recognizes the personal requirements and expertise of each individual, they can effectively personalize their approach, create unique development opportunities, and recognize the unique gifts that each person brings to the team. The chapters in the book which guide a leader in this area include: "Encourage Authenticity", "Inspire Creativity", and "Foster Growth".
- The Workplace Environment: It's critical that the leader creates a trusting and supportive environment, one that welcomes positive and negative emotions in order to get real-world issues and solutions on the table. The leader also needs to create a strong emphasis on VALUE and the need for actively engaging everyone in the outcome. The chapters in the book which guide a leader in this area include: "Create a Family", "Advertise Value", and "Cultivate Culture".
When a leader can effectively align their personal attributes with a strong employee-focused culture in a supportive work environment, they can make a difference in the happiness and effectiveness of their workforce-they can help people love their work.
If you would like to contact Jenny Fisher, please email her at: jfisher@fsleadership.com
Illustrator Lena Shiffman was born and raised in Sweden, a country rich in story-telling. After moving to the USA, Lena attended Spectrum Institute of Commercial Art in New Jersey, and later studied at The Parsons School of Design and the Art Students League in New York City. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Her first book was Keeping a Christmas Secret written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It received a Christopher award in 1989. Since then Lena has illustrated My First Book of Words, and numerousHello Readers for Scholastic Inc., including the book Dancing with Manatees, that has sold over half a million copies. Her latest books are When I Lived with Bats and Playing with Dolphins, both written by Faith McNulty.
What was the inspiration behind the artwork?
By the Artist Lena Shiffman
I knew right away that I wanted to be involved with Jenny Fisher's The Feminine Side of Leadership, though it was totally different than my usual work. I loved her concept and could see wonderful things emerging. Of course it is entirely different to get caught up with the excitement of something new and exciting than actually creating it. I spent many sleepless nights thinking of how to illustrate qualities such as authenticity, authority, creativity, kindness, culture, strength and value.
I studied books about symbolism and ancient art, which only complicate things further, since symbolism of the old doesn't represent the same of today. My one goal was to find a unified look throughout the artwork, so I came up with the idea to use the woman's symbol as the backdrop in my illustrations. The design made each illustration have an element that tied them together, but still kept the individuality, strength and importance of each illustration throughout the book. After many hours of work and with Jenny's support and collaboration I am pleased with the end result. Each illustration works beautifully on its own, but together they make a great whole. Thank you Jenny for giving me the opportunity to work on your wonderful book."
If interested in a school visit or to contact Lena, please email her at:lenashiffman@embarqmail.com
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