Dr. Terri Kennedy at Womensphere Global Summit 2012
THE BUZZ: On September 27th and 28th, 2012, I participated in the 5th Annual Womensphere Global Summit & Awards in New York. This year’s Summit convened business leaders, thought leaders, innovators, global leaders, academic leaders, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, public sector leaders, and heads and executives of some of the most important and influential companies and institutions in the world. The theme was “Creating the Future: Evolution.”
The Summit challenged participants to reflect upon, discuss, and share insights on creating the future and driving evolution – answering questions such as: “How are we influencing the evolution of our global society, and the evolution of women’s role as leaders and innovators in the world? What are the successful models, initiatives, and ventures that are creating impact in building a better future? What initiatives, models, organizational frameworks, and disruptions are enabling women’s evolution as leaders, innovators, and creators around the world?”
I closed the Summit out by summarizing some of the common themes. Here are a few words from my talk:
“We’ve spent the last two days sharing our expertise, our stories, our models of transformation and social innovation. We have been inspired by visionaries and those who have committed their lives to the greater good.
We have talked about facilitators of change, such as media and technology, which allow us to create virtual communities and new ecosystems, and amplify voices that were once muffled.
We have affirmed the fact that women have the power to change the trajectory of our world by being more collaborative and less prone to corruption, and by making more values-driven decisions that are friendlier for our planet and the people who temporarily call it home.
We also have acknowledged that we live in a world where women are told they are not enough, and that we must create habits of mind that allow us to push past doubt, speak out and step up.
So now what? Can we actually be the change we see in the world?
In order for us to create the future, we each have to see the future so clearly that it becomes our waking reality.”
I then led the audience in a short meditation/visualization and provided three action steps to support their journey as change agents. It was a perfect close to a wonderful event. Be sure to look for my upcoming series on Women & Power.
Contributed by Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy, Ph.D., MBA.
