Women’s leadership is at an exciting turning point in history. Around the world, women are stepping into positions of growing power and influence in business, politics and society.   As they grow in stature many become women of influence committed to supporting the next wave of leaders.

One such woman is Linda Alepin, a successful corporate executive with over 30 years experience in high tech. She epitomizes a woman of influence having served in senior positions as an officer of a Fortune 200 IT company, CEO and Founder of an early Internet start-up, and now as Founding Director Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN). Linda formed the network in 2004 which has trained 160 women leaders from more than 40 countries and various sectors of society and encouraged them to transform their work into breakthrough global projects.

So what is Global Women’s Leadership Network ?  First I have to admit I am a graduate and while I was clearly going down the leadership path, this community was transformational, providing new tools allowing me to rise to new heights and levels of influence. They taught me three basics: 1) to raise my vision make it bigger; 2) imagine the journey from the top of the mountain not from the bottom, and most importantly and;  3) we are a global community and through our network collectively we have more power and influence than any of us have alone. While it sounds simple, it isn’t.   Learning new skills is like building muscles, developing them and keeping them strong through exercise and diet.

GWLN is dedicated to igniting a new future for humanity by liberating women leaders around the world. They do this through capacity building activities, such as education, and also building a network of support among leaders from many countries.  Their projects cover wide areas of involvement including, but not limited to,  environmental sustainability, health care, economic development, food security, gender equality and human rights. Simply stated, Global Women’s Leadership Network GWLN exists to help women step out of survival and dependence into their inherent power, enabling the transformation of world conditions – woman by woman. Their policy is to work for women, in partnership with individuals, NGOs and corporations, to create an environment conducive to broad participation for major social change around the world.

GWLN Graduation

Join me as I catch up with Linda by viewing this video I recorded at EMC’s Leadership & Innovation event on Jan 24^th.