Advice on History-Making Success From 10 Women World Leaders Today

With International Women’s Day celebrated on March 10, 115 years after its founding, it is the perfect time to acknowledge that the women at the very top of world leadership are living role models for how each one of us can make history daily.

And we can also acknowledge that women have been making history for longer than a century. And that you make history every day.

Learning and knowing how to make your efforts matter in the bigger picture is worth your time, particularly during Women’s History Month, when the country and the world salute women whose efforts have produced changes. Even if the end goal is not fully achieved. Yet.

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Michele WeldonComment
Shecession or SheChange: Why Are Women Leaving Workplaces?

Issue 2876— February 23, 2026

Have you heard the saying that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics? One harmful statistic making the rounds is that women are leaving the workforce in droves. 

That story is incomplete at best and misleading at worst. Hundreds of thousands of women have been pushed out of their jobs involuntarily. Other women have indeed chosen to leave the workplace that wasn’t working for them, but most of those haven’t stopped working. 

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Side Dish: Up Your Income Creating Gigs You Enjoy

Suffice it to say very few people in this country do one 9 to 5 job. Most everyone has a side gig, a hustle, a dip into entrepreneurship, or just a practical way to fill the economic gaps with rising prices and stagnating salaries.

Women are doing more of this, (more in younger generations) out of desire or necessity or boredom, and generating less income. So you do you get more when you’re doing more?

Read more in Take The Lead on side gigs

New Citizens Bank research shows, “Two-thirds of adults under 34 have pursued an entrepreneurial venture, including nearly a quarter doing work outside their primary job,” according to Axios.

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Michele WeldonComment
Fire Horse Energy Is Here: Are You Ready for It?

Issue 2875— February 17, 2026

I don’t believe a calendar flip magically changes human behavior.

But I do believe there are moments—collective and personal—when energy shifts and we get to decide whether we’ll meet it with resistance or take its energy to propel ourselves forward.

Happy Lunar New Year, the Year of the Fire Horse galloping in on February 17.

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Grateful To You: Express Thanks For Better Workplace Outcomes

Gratitude completely matters.

On the 12th anniversary of Take The Lead’s launch, we are extremely grateful to the global community supporting the mission of gender parity in leadership across all sectors through programs, events, trainings, coaching, mentorship and multiplatform resources.

To echo that gratitude, it is crucial to suggest the need for today’s leaders to express gratitude to colleagues, employees and clients in a challenging era when many feel anxious and overworked. The goal is to create and maintain a culture of intentional community with high expectations, fruitful outcomes and a sense of belonging, social connectedness,  value and purpose. Not with rote, brief recognition, but with true gratitude. The outcome is retention, profit, expansion, creativity and a sense of wellness at work.

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Michele WeldonComment
Smile More, Kaitlan. No, Smile Less. Which Is It?

Issue 2874— February 9, 2026

Lives there a woman who has not been told many times over, “Smile more.” And/or “Smile less.” Count yourself either lucky or oblivious if you said, “Me.”

 This video posted by CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins got me going on the impossible Catch 22 that every woman lives in almost every aspect of life.

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Impacting History Today and Tomorrow: Celebrating Excellent Black Women Leaders

As Black History Month celebrates 100 years of saluting the excellence and inspiration of history-making contributions by Black leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in this country, Take The Lead celebrates the leadership of 10 outstanding Black women making history today.

Some of these leaders you may already know and some may be new to you. All of these women contribute their noteworthy talents across the fields of sports, AI, music, media, philanthropy, communications, culinary excellence, retail and banking.

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Michele WeldonComment
How To Create A Safe Workplace In Politically Polarized World

At a time when just consuming the news can cause mental health distress, political division in this country is high and leaders are working to make their workplace culture safe and inclusive for all. And offices—remote, in person and hybrid-- can include people others disagree with.

Not everyone must conform to one mindset. But it may be difficult for leaders to ignore as activists proposed a National Shutdown for January 30 urging people across the country to stay home from work and school and not shop. This impacts businesses everywhere.

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Michele WeldonComment
Unlock The #1 Secret to Leading

Issue 2873— January 27, 2026

Easily the best speech I’ve heard by a leader recently-- or perhaps ever-- was Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s at the 2026 World Economic Forum at Davos. If you are leading a team or even a team of one (yourself), you can learn a lot from this speech, far beyond the panoply of Davos’ topics.  

 I admire this speech not because it’s packed with substance, rather than being heavy on bloviation as politicians are wont to do.

 And not because the prose is beautiful (though it is), or because it contains a story with a memorable metaphor of a sign in the window, while also quoting Thucydides, though I do love a good classics reference.

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It’s A Fit: Onboarding Strategies From Early to Mid to C-Suite For Best Outcomes

Onboarding successfully for a new position is far more complicated than activating an ID card and setting up passwords for company Zoom and email accounts.

Whether you are a new graduate in an entry level position, mid-career, or changing C-suites, successfully transitioning into a new organization involves finesse and establishing proven strategies and steps.

Surprise, it is also viewed as a different process by men and women.

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Michele WeldonComment