What Leadership Means to Me

by Umut Joldoshalieva
Everyone has the ability to be a leader. But not all of us can realize it. This ability lives inside of us. To be a leader depends on the community where we live and also on the person, of course. A true leader has great vision to see difficulties before they arrive and ways to use this vision to make decisions. A great leader can not only use her own opinion, but also can listen to the ideas of others and make better conclusions from them. The leader uses her great ideas to attract followers who support her goals or plans. But leaders must beware not to lead down the wrong path. We know from history, there are two types of leaders. The first one is the wolf leader. Take, for example, Chingiz Khan who managed his army with fear. The second one – a fox leader, who is like Lenin who could inspire all different classes of people with his words. In my opinion, a modern leader should be a combination of these two types. This is an important responsibility of women leaders in Kyrgyzstan. There are some situations which require a leader to be polite, or other situations that require her to be strict and strong. The Kyrgyz women are expected to be obedient but with an education she can develop her independence and he own leadership skills. In my experience begin active in the community and building relationships also helps me to develop my skills as a leader. As a young woman in my country, this is very challenging. With my coming experiences in America, I can return to Kyrgyzstan with these new skills to meet these challenges and to teach my peers to improve their own leadership abilities.

Women's Leadership Club 2008-2009 Topics

1. Dream jobs
2. Careers
3. Gender expectations
4. Resume Writing
5. Cover Letters
6. Interview Skills
7. Mock Interviews
8. Labor Migration
9. Human Trafficking
10. Black History Month
11. Effective Communication
12. HIV/AIDS
13. Sexuality/ Safe Sex
14. Menstruation
15. Self-Esteem
16. Culture
17. Breaking Stereotypes
18. Challenges Women Face
19. Assertiveness
20. Goal Setting: Long & Short Term, Goal Setting Notebooks
21. Human Rights: Declaration of HR
22. Bride Kidnapping
23. Women’s Psychology
24. Domestic Violence
25. What Does Leadership Mean to Me?
26. Body Image/Concepts of Beauty
27. Role Models
28. Guest Speakers: Women NGO Directors in Osh
29. Immigration In & Out of Kyrgyzstan
30. Healthy Relationships/ Unhealthy Relationships
31. Abuse and Battering: Rhianna and Chris Brown
32. Sexual Harassment
33. Social Change (Field trip to Theo’s AIDS Mural)
34. Blogging: Creating a WMS Club blog: www.oshladyleaders.blogspot.com
35. Guest Speaker: Aiday Malone from UNWFP
36. Emotional Well-being
37. Self-help, Counseling, Stress Management
38. Earth Day: Decomposition, littering, evironmentalism
39. Volunteerism
40. Films: North Country & Mona Lisa Smile

Lady Leaders!

Welcome to our Women's Leadership Club blog. Here everyone can learn about what our club is, the topics we discuss, and the community activities we participate in. Our lady leaders will take turns posting information and starting discussions. Please feel free to email us suggestions or questions: oshladyleaders@gmail.com And thanks for reading! Enjoy!