The Līdere 2018 Growth and Inspiration Forum

Excellently organised - thanks to Solvita Kabakova and her team. But it is not the form I want to talk about - it is the content. Chatting with BNI colleague Vineta, whom I met at the forum, I realised that in a sense this kind of review of conferences is necessary for me personally as a set of notes I could one day leaf through again and rediscover some insight or draw inspiration from strong personalities. Initially I thought I would share insights from the five most interesting speakers, but let me go ahead and share comments and insights from all of them.

The forum was opened by Latvia's strongest, wisest, and most charismatic female leader of all time, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga. A speaker you could listen to, listen to, and listen to. She reminded us of society's stereotypes regarding the roles of women and men. The stereotype about women: either you are clever or pretty; either pretty or enterprising. As a child, her parents had warned her: if you are too clever, you will never find a husband. Utter nonsense. If you are a clever woman, you will find a clever husband. Fools are no use to such women.

If you yourself are not afraid of initiative and responsibility, then someone else will enthusiastically voice concerns about it on your behalf.

Both genders possess intelligence and initiative. Men have analytical minds and physical strength - you cannot take that away, and it is right that it be so - but women have two things that surpass men: endurance and a more tenacious commitment to a goal.

A prescription for all women: what you feel in your heart and mind to be right - that is the path you must walk.

Then Aiva Vīksna, director of the association "Līdere", spoke about daring and the fulfilment of her childhood dreams. She referred to Freud's insight that we are happiest when we realise our childhood dreams. The desire for freedom and independence grew into entrepreneurship.

You can fly like an eagle, but even then you must think about how to put food on the table.

In life's moments - when someone has let you down, when you have suffered a setback or a loss - it is important not to stay home and cry on the sofa, but to go out: to the opera, for instance. Perhaps there you will find your opportunity.

Being better is better than simply being.

The four fundamental principles of true, or authentic, leadership were defined by coach and psychotherapist Katrīna Ošleja:

1. Know yourself and allow yourself to reflect.
True leaders are not afraid to ask for feedback, nor to see a coach or therapist, or to keep a diary.

2. Be aware of your values and ethical boundaries.
What you say aloud or declare to employees, you must also do yourself. Being ethical can be costly. Learn to say NO, because we have a tendency to fulfil clients' wishes.

3. Maintain transparency in relationships.
Say directly and honestly what you think; provide honest feedback.

4. Develop balanced thinking.
The ability to step back and accept that your own convictions may also have flaws. It is not easy, because abandoning your own opinion means setting aside your Ego.

Inga Zemdega-Grāpe believes that you should not shape yourself and your life, but love it. She spoke about three traps to watch out for: pride, foolishness, and anger. She referred to the Dalai Lama's saying that the world does not need more successful people, but lovers. As I belong to the camp of those who shape things, I would want to argue with her on many points - but as Katrīna said, you must also be able to accept another's view; perhaps your own is not quite so right. :)

This was followed by an interview with Jolanta Gulbe-Paškeviča. I forgot to mention that she and the other speakers were interviewed by the event moderator Ilze Dobele. Jolanta's formula for keeping herself in shape is 20×20×20: every day 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of learning, and 20 minutes of writing.

Eating a cupcake is not love for yourself, but love for the cupcake.

Ieva Plaude-Roehlinger spoke about mistakes and setbacks. Her method for overcoming failure involves four steps: first, acknowledge it; second, take a pause and use it actively; third, write down the +/− factors that led to the failure; fourth, write down the + factors that allowed you to overcome it.

One mistake can bring failure, but one failure does not yet mean your path is wrong.

After a light lunch came the second forum session, where the first two speakers were from the medical world: Dace Matule and Violeta Fodina. Dace's presentation in particular is worth mentioning. Nature created us to enjoy life, but then stress comes along and messes up our hormones. Cortisol tells men in a stress situation: fight or flee - but in women, oxytocin helps find a third option: seeking alternative possibilities. The presentation was superb, given Dace's extensive experience in the field and her ability to communicate with women - but a photo in the presentation taken from the internet with a Depositphotos watermark was beyond all criticism :(

In my opinion, the presentation by clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Marija Ābeltiņa was very interesting - using humour about painful things. She spoke about burnout, its types, and how to overcome it (more slides from Marija's presentation are in the gallery below).

Burnout can arise from three factors:

1. Overworking and fear of making mistakes.
What to do? Eat, move, sleep.

2. Boredom.
Remember, you are adults and can do absolutely anything.

3. A toxic environment.
If you cannot bear that workplace, then leave. If anyone asks, I gave you permission. :)

Engaging, professionally composed, and rich in substance was also the very personal story told by Linda Matisone, chairperson of the Laumas Lingerie board, about her career and her husband as a vitally important source of support in it. The golden phrase Linda heard from her husband - and which every businesswoman or female manager needs to hear:

Whatever decision you make, I will support you.

The theme was priorities - those are the things we are prepared to spend money or time on. And the conclusion from the story:

If we make a decision based on the right priorities, everything else will fall into place.

Workaholism is selfishness towards family and fellow human beings - it is indulging one's own ambitions. Throughout our lives it is important to remain teachable, but we ourselves are responsible for choosing which teachers we learn from. We are all created to win.

I liked the form chosen by psychologist Ieva Stokenberga to talk about the sense of happiness - using not a presentation, but both palms of her hands. One palm symbolised genetics and historical heritage; the other: 10% - the little finger - circumstances and events (e.g. a successful purchase or a lottery win); 40% - the thumb - the ability to recognise that all is OK; the index finger - savouring the present moment; the middle finger - kindness and giving compliments; the ring finger - time invested in relationships.

Make wise use of the fellow travellers who are given to each of us along life's path as support mechanisms.

Ambition is not a dirty word or something bad, as she had been taught to believe in childhood. If you have ambitions inside you, do not be afraid to let them run free - this was the message conveyed by Dana Bjorka, director of the Riga Russian Theatre, in her interview. Do not be afraid to put your name to the work you do or write; do not be shy about receiving praise and kind words. It is a very good feeling when you allow yourself to fulfil your ambitions.

The third session had two speakers and a panel discussion with four businesswomen.

Līga Menģelsone emphasised the importance of compromise - that is, conceding in order to gain more. The only place where there is no room for compromise is values. "Caur sidraba birzi gāju, ne zariņa nenolauzu." ("I walked through the silver birch grove, I broke not a single twig.")

Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola, in turn, emphasised the importance of rituals and traditions - in chess, in family, and in politics. She also believes in the law of conservation of energy: what you give comes back to the giver.

In closing, the second LĪDERE 2019 forum was announced, to be held on 17 May 2019, and the audience was introduced to the speakers. It should be noted that while this year's early bird price was EUR 45, the early bird price for next year is already EUR 130.