This weekend a Facebook marketplace find caught my eye; A graphic comic poster of Wonder Women. The image resonated with me and at a couple of quid I thought it would be brilliant to have in my office. I decided it would remind me of how I am a ‘Wonder Women’ in Business.
Now for those who know me, you know I’m not a DC, Marvel, comic book kinda girl. Not seen any of the great comic book movies or even ever read a comic…but you see I am a child of the 70’s so grew up idolizing Lyndia Carter in the TV show, which ran between 1975 – 1979. What wonderful memories, what a great image to live up to. The poster took me straight back to those times. Who of you out there can remember playing outdoors, pretending to be a superhero defeating evil? I begged and begged my mum to make me a wonder women costume for the fancy dress parties I attended. (I ended up going as Mr Tetley, don’t ask to see the photo’s.)
Putting the image up on the office wall I wondered about the relevance of Wonder Women was in today’s society. Is it OK for us to have this type of female aspiration role model? Is it ok for business leaders to style themselves as ‘super hero’ leaders in business today?
I decided to explore what Wonder Women stood far to see if those characteristics are needed in 2022 business circles. Let’s have a look at some of Wonder Women’s personal traits to see what we think.
Determine your own destiny.
Created in the 1941, it was first seen in a comic in Jan 1942. However, it was quickly banned because of the iconic costume. Apparently, she wasn’t wearing enough clothes; I’d like to see them tell that to Beyoncé. (Now you know why my mum won’t make the costume.) Wonder Women was developed to symbolized how women can determine their own destiny. Tick 1 for role model in 2022. I believe any/all women in business can determine their own destiny.
A warrior.
William Moulton Marston created Wonder Women to be an Amazonian warrior. Marston believed that women had a greater competency to rule a peaceful society. A women’s affection and inclination to love could be used more than war and violence. As a messenger of peace Wonder Women only used violence as a last resort. Her warrior characteristics are all about honor, strength, courage, strategy, and power. Think about how useful these behaviors are in business. Leaders must have the courage and strength to do what is right for their people, their business. Tick 2.
Feminism & female empowerment.
On 21 October 2016 the United Nations gave ‘Wonder Woman’ fictional character an Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. They wanted to portray a message that helped achieve their Sustainable Development Goal 5 – to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. They said “She is a global citizen and universally recognized for her commitment to justice, peace and equality and is seen as a model of strength, fairness and compassion”. No more to be said. Tick.
Empathy and emotional intelligence.
Gal Gadot, the actress playing Wonder Woman in the recent movie, described Wonder Woman as “an idealist". Experienced, super-confident. Having many strengths and powers, but at the end of the day she’s a woman with a lot of emotional intelligence.” Figuring out the best ways to attract, challenge and grow your team/ business partners takes deep understanding of people. Emotional Intelligence improves self-awareness, increases accountability, fosters communication, and builds trusting relationships by helping leaders address challenges more effectively. One could argue that in 2022 this is needed now more important than ever. Tick, Tick, Tick.
I could go on, but this is only a quick 5min read. Clearly, I’m concluding Wonder Women is a wonderful role model for business leaders. Her strength of character remind us all to be ‘better’ human beings.
Who are your superhero role models and why? How can you encourage/empower your female team members to be more ‘Wonder Women’? How can you enlighten your male team members to understand the power of ‘Wonder Women’ thinking and behaving.
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