English for Work

2022-01-13 Helping women get fair pay: Meggie Palmer – Leadership

Introduction

Meggie Palmer had some negative experiences in the workplace because of her gender, so she decided to do something about it.

What advice does she have for other women in leadership roles?

TRANSCRIPT

Meggie Palmer

For me, leadership is about having a vision and taking steps towards a vision for the greater good.

Don’t be scared of leadership, right? Step into it. Step into leadership at home, among your friendship group, among your community.

If you see a gap, if you see a challenge that you… that you think should be solved, go ahead and create that change.

You know, it’s an exciting time to be a leader and we’re seeing, you know, Greta Thunberg and so many people around the world, who are super young, having a huge impact on the world.

It can be scary and it can be overwhelming, in particular sometimes – what will people think of me as leader? Will they judge me?

That’s something that I’ve… I’ve struggled with, but what I would say to anyone considering a role in leadership is: move through that and step into it because great things will happen if you do.

Leaders shouldn’t be bullies. And I think I’ve observed throughout my career and even, you know, in global politics, sometimes leaders behave like bullies and that’s not how you get the best or the most sustainable change.

I think as a leader, it’s important to take people with you.

I think the biggest challenge for any leader is making sure that you’re staying true to your values and that you’re not veering off course. So, I think it’s crucial to have people around you, who will be honest.

BBC Learning English

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Tags: Leadership

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