Leadership and Entrepreneurship: One in the Same as the Forbes Women’s Summit Seeks to Redefine Power

Forbes Women's SummitOn May 9th, 2013, an event that can only be described as one-of-a-kind occurred in New York City. Entrepreneurial-minded leaders gathered to support and inspire women (and a few men) at the inaugural Forbes Power Redefined Women’s Summit.

The transformational Summit was, “not about women’s issues, but how a new generation of women redefining the notion of power through innovation and disruption can join forces with more traditional leaders to help solve society’s most difficult problems.”

Leaders such as Moira Forbes, publisher of ForbesWoman, Janet Napolitano, US Homeland Security Secretary, and former MIT President Susan Hockfield all took the stage throughout the day during the Summit. For the full list of speakers, panelists and participants, click here.

“Solving big problems isn’t just about great plans and great intentions; it requires a bolder way of thinking and doing,” stated a handout from Forbes.

Hockfield spoke about the women in “Generation Why Not?” and their potential to change the world through varied careers science and technology. She also praised the non-profit educational website Khan Academy and other organizations which push science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Secretary Napolitano was present in the discussion about the growing influence of women in shaping policy. Power and influence are no longer limited to the voting booth or to political insiders, as the Summit reminded the audience throughout the day. Individuals around the world are becoming influencers and agents for change, many of whom are women.

In closing, Forbes said, “How inspiring are those young voices? I hope that the vision they laid out in such sweet and wonderful ways can come true. That is the mission of this conference. I can honestly say I’ve never been in a room with such dynamic, diverse women who are leaders and can be architects of change in ways I could never imagine.”

The goal of the conference was not only to get the discussion about how women can change the world, but also to inspire generations of women to do so through entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation.

“Remember that this conversation is not the culmination,” Forbes said. “All of the hours and all of the brain power that were put into today can be harvested in ways we’ve never realized. They are seeds. They will be planted and have long-lasting reverberation.”

Lastly, a few summarizing messages from the Summit include: one of the key things is to keep your eye on the long term vision if you are a leader, power of opportunity not removed because of technology, resilience is a key characteristic for a successful entrepreneur, and it is the young, creative entrepreneurs that have the potential to be the most disruptive.