From Business Leader to Movement-Maker: Building a Base of Fanatical Followers
Ragne Sinikas is a social entrepreneur, philanthropist, an advanced online marketer, founder of World Women Empowerment, World Women Conference & Awards, Starpreneurs.tv, Real Estate Developer, an International speaker, coach of the Change Makers, global award winner with her Dominate the Decade Podcast, co-author of various books that help entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale their business.
Ragne has over 15 years of sales leadership in developing and implementing sales and business plans internationally, in several industry sectors. Ragne is passionate about socially responsible investing and she founded and grew a boutique management consultancy specialising in “green” investing. Technological innovation is central to low-emission and climate-resilient development.
Ragne is focused on women empowerment through education, skills-building and entrepreneurial programs that create new opportunities for women to sustain their livelihoods. Her firm commitment to achieving empowerment through education is key to obtaining gender equality and her involvement with university students in Mexico has inspired many to participate in multiplying the gender equality movement. Ragne also works with kids who have health challenges such as those with the need for heart surgeries. With over 100 surgeries in the last 24 months, she has changed the lives of 100 families. 100 women that had lost hope and now have a healthy kid with a strong heart and an amazing future. Ragne’s vision is to strengthen and preserve cultural and community development and to build key relationships with different organizations and potential partners within the international community. Ragne is an advocate for the advancement of women’s rights, gender equality, and human rights. She is committed to equipping women with tools and strategies to enable them to become agents of change and a force for good in their local communities and that is the reason why she is creating sustainable community development programs for indigenous in Mexico.
How do you balance work and life responsibilities?
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is linked to reduced stress levels and risk for burn out. Besides our health, time is our most precious gift and we need to spend it wisely on the things that matter most to us. If we don’t do this, we will constantly be spending time on things that are important to other people and we end up feeling emotionally and physically exhausted and completely unfulfilled in our lives.
If you feel like you’re juggling too much and you’re teetering dangerously close to the edge, it’s time to take a step back and breathe. So my tactics. First this principle: “awareness precedes change”. It’s the whole principle of “once we know better, we can do better” at work. Often in life when we are feeling anxious and overwhelmed, we aren’t sure where the feelings are coming from and what is causing us to feel so off-kilter. Once we know what we are dealing with, we can start taking positive steps to address whatever it is.
Second, Schedule like a BOSS: “what gets scheduled, gets done.” Schedule time for the people and things that are important to you – including time for yourself. And part of scheduling like a boss is getting super comfortable with saying ‘no’ to activities or people who drain you emotionally. You need to take care of yourself, first and foremost and you need time to rest and recharge, so don’t schedule back-to-back meetings or activities.
Third, Develop a Great Morning Routine. I am a proud member of the 5 am club. Keep aside 60 minutes every morning – 20 minutes for movement, 20 minutes for self-reflection, and 20 minutes to learn something new. You deserve to love yourself to gain perspective of your life, take control of the amazing journey that is your destiny.
Whether you lead a company, write screenplays, manage a shop or teach yoga, you are in the business of building a base of fanatical followers around your product and your brand. This makes you a movement-maker.
As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?
I have experienced 4 types of barriers. To be accepted as leaders, women often must walk a fine line between two opposing sets of expectations. The barriers that hinder women’s career advancement, including emotional intelligence and gender culture, and how these differences impact leadership can be described in 4 types: structural barriers, institutional mindsets, individual mindsets, and lifestyle choices.
Structural barriers include lack of access to important informal networks, such as the golf course, sporting events, or simple after-work drinks. Often, men assume that women don’t want to take part in these types of events, so they don’t invite them. We must be more inclusive with our networks and social events. Institutional mindsets include various types of gender bias and stereotyping. For example, role incongruity occurs when someone holds beliefs or stereotypes about a group that is inconsistent with the behavior thought to be necessary to succeed in a specific role. In other words, there is a common belief that gender differences make women and men effective in different roles. Thus, women are less effective to the extent that the leader role is masculinized, and men are less effective when the role is feminized. And in my experience it is not true as most of my career I have been working in real estate. Individual mindsets are the thoughts and behaviors women might have, that hold them back. The majority of women do not pursue vice president, president, or C-level positions for a myriad of reasons, including socialization pressures, lack of confidence, risk aversion, valuing work-life balance, or a desire to avoid politics. Many women have opted for the private sector, nonprofits, or startup companies, where there are a significant number of female owners, leaders, and employees. They can then avoid some of the barriers women face in large public companies, discovering less gender bias and stereotyping, more female mentors, more female role models, and more leadership support to help women advance.
Lifestyle choices include work-life balance, family choices, and breadwinner/caregiver priorities. These choices are not negative, but they are considered barriers because they contribute to the leadership gender gap. We can help overcome structural barriers with mentors and sponsors, but it’s important to understand the difference between the two. A mentor is a person who helps guide and advise someone to grow in her current position. A sponsor is a person who serves as someone’s advocate to help her move toward her next position.
For women, a good strategy is to have male sponsors who are in decision-making positions of authority and can give them more credibility. These sponsors can include their boss, leaders in their department, or leaders in other departments. Institutional mindsets are the most significant barriers and are a major reason that we don’t see more women at the top levels of leadership. People make assumptions about women at work and as leaders based on their stereotypical roles in society. Often, women are limited in their advancement or, worse, never even given an opportunity because of bias.
Even more worrisome, much of the bias that people have towards women are unconscious. Research has found that it’s not the conscious or explicit bias that primarily causes barriers and misunderstandings and limits potential. Rather, it’s the unconscious or hidden biases that are really problematic.
These hidden, reflexive preferences shape our worldviews and can profoundly affect how welcoming and open a workplace is to different people and ideas. One solution is for women to proactively and consistently communicate their desires to advance, travel or take a new assignment. This type of communication will help put to rest any assumptions made about them.
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Who inspired you and why?
The late Princess deeply inspires Ragne; what makes her so timeless is her “sense of style and purpose,” how she was “independent… thoughtful and modern about her approach to things” and “always the one to set the trends rather than follow them.”
We all can relate to Grace Kelly’s fashion, style, and philanthropy that has caught the attention and has fascinated the world for decades. Ragne admires her for her passion for empowerment, equal rights, and desire to create a better world.
Grace Kelly dedicated herself to charity and cultural work, and this is where Ragne also sees her life purpose. Ragne aims to reposition women for high performance, improved leadership, and strong participation in society’s economic and social development. As a visionary, she celebrates innovative and extraordinary women creating a global community of women active in social, economic, and are cultural forces in developing nations. Every girl and woman deserves the opportunity to have her own voice and to have human rights.
What are some traits you think great leaders possess?
Ragne believes that great leaders are individuals who have found their purpose and realized their value. Their talent and mission are aligned and they live rich lives, earning handsomely whilst being in their element every day. Great leaders are Intentional. Great leaders have an instinct for execution versus chit-chat. They get things done. They don’t waste time. Future greatness means intention over distraction and simply getting things done. A great leader is Empathetic. Empathy means someone knows how to motivate and inspire, making them a far more effective business leader. Great leaders make you feel bigger when you are in their presence. They don’t toy with power plays; they have nothing to prove. They are humble and unassuming but committed to service. Resonating, empathising, thinking of others.
Great leaders are Different. If you want what no one else has, you have to do what no one else will do. There is no benefit in fitting in, going with the crowd, or following the herd. There is no point passively waiting to be picked, you have to choose yourself. Superstars stand out from others, but they were standing out long before they made it. Great leaders have Perspective. Great leaders “understand the shortness of life.” They have a sense of perspective and are insanely aware of the value of their time. They know time wasted now will cost their future. Insanely intentional, unequivocally empathetic, and proud to be different with an acute sense of time, the signs of future leaders are clear to the trained eye. Incorporating greatness into the early days secures more bright ones ahead.
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Whether you lead a company, write screenplays, manage a shop, or teach yoga, you’re in the business of building a base of fanatical followers around your product. And your brand. This makes you a movement-maker.
Please also know that the more passionately, excellently and committedly you grow your movement, the more gains you’ll see in your income, influence, impact, and personal fulfillment.
The more people you enroll in your mighty mission and the more lives you serve, the more good things will unfold in your future.
The more humans you help the more fortune will help you.
The greatest movement-makers all have one thing in common: they were masterful communicators. Through their words and ways of showing up, they have been able to persuade their people to follow them to the mountaintop.
The 4 key elements of becoming an outstanding communicator, in a very substantial way so it’s worth the gift of your time and attention…
Deep Listening. First, please remember that the communicator who listens the best learns the most. If you’re doing all the talking you’re not gathering and exposing yourself to any new ideas.
Second, I’ve discovered that it’s the person asking the questions who is in true control of the conversation. Get great at using brilliant questions sincerely.
Finally, turning up the volume of your listening is one of the finest acts of respect you can show another person, especially in this civilization of people who adore hearing the sound of their own voice.
Being fully present and genuinely engaged (versus checking messages or rehearsing your answer) as you hear the speaker makes the other person feel important, understood, and safe with you. This accelerates trust massively. And trust is the bedrock of a great relationship, whether at the workplace or within your home life.
Do you experience resistance when you are leading men?
If one has misdiagnosed a problem, then one is unlikely to prescribe an effective cure. This is the situation regarding the scarcity of women in top leadership. Because people with the best of intentions have misread the symptoms, the solutions that managers are investing in are not making enough of a difference. That there is a problem is not in doubt. Leading men requires persistence, awareness of one’s progress, and a careful analysis of the challenges that lie ahead. My experience on leading men and on the solutions, is to increase people’s awareness of the psychological drivers of prejudice toward female leaders and work to dispel those perceptions. Raising awareness of ingrained bias has been the aim of many diversity-training initiatives, and no doubt they have been more helpful than harmful.
What is your management style? How do you like to communicate with your team?
The leadership style I use is based on CLEAR COMMUNICATION & GOOD LISTENING
As the leader of an organization, you set the tone for communication. Your communication must be consistent, clear, and courteous. Leaders must also be good listeners. When leaders don’t listen…
They stop gaining wisdom.
They stop “hearing” what isn’t being said.
Team members stop communicating.
Their indifference begins to spread to other areas.
Ultimately, poor listening leads to hostility, miscommunication, and a breakdown of team cohesion.
To employ this leadership style, give yourself a 360-degree listening review. Ask for feedback concerning your listening skills from your boss or mentor, your colleagues, and your subordinates. If you don’t get good grades from all of them, then quiet down and listen up. This is one of the most effective ways to improve as a communicator.
As a leader, one of the most critical skills you need to develop is the ability to adapt your communication style based on situational needs. When you’re able to use the right communication tools, you’re able to help your team reach peak performance. There’s nothing more powerful than communicating in a way that truly resonates with your employees.
Leaders can persuade employees to follow their vision by involving employee interests and communicating effectively. In order to be perceived as competent communicators, leaders must share and respond to information on time; pay attention to others’ viewpoints; communicate clearly and concisely to all levels of organizations; and use existing communication channels and various communicative resources, such as language, gestures, and sounds. Communication skills also play an important role in influencing attitudes, such as employee satisfaction, not only in terms of communication with leaders but also in terms of satisfaction with their jobs.
What was your organizational culture few years ago for women and working mothers? Do you feel the company should make annual efforts towards improving the culture for their cohort?
World Women Conference & Awards culture has always been a people-oriented, friendly and collaborative culture. We understand the needs of working mothers and we know what support she needs from the leadership and from the team members. Additionally, WWCA mission is to reposition women for high performance, improved leadership, and strong participation in the economic and social development of the society. I think that companies should do daily efforts to improve the culture. as Maya Angelou once wrote: People may forget what you say and people may forget what you do. But no one will ever forget how you made them feel.” Small daily improvements will lead to stunning results and it is far more important to make the effort on a daily basis rather than once a year.
But if I share with you my corporate experience I would say the following. To drive change, companies need to invest deeply in all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This starts with taking bold steps to ensure that women of diverse identities are well represented, but the diversity of numbers isn’t enough on its own. Companies also need to create a culture that fully leverages the benefits of diversity—one in which women, and all employees, feel comfortable bringing their unique ideas, perspectives, and experiences to the table. When women are respected and their contributions are valued, they are more likely to be happy in their jobs and to feel connected to their coworkers. But women’s day-to-day experiences are shaped primarily by their interactions with managers and colleagues, which means that deep cultural change is possible only if all employees are empowered to be part of the solution. This starts with raising awareness. Employees need to understand the barriers that women face particularly women with traditionally marginalized identities.
