Susan MacKenty Brady, Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership, Simmons University; Chief Executive Officer of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership.
My life’s work has been developing the mindsets and skills of leaders and especially women to forge workplaces where all can advance and thrive. I have developed leadership development programs for organizations in a variety of industries and countries, including founding both the Linkage SHRM Women in Leadership Institute as well as the Institute for Inclusive Leadership at Simmons University; written 4 books, including the best-selling Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, and serve as a public keynote speaker and executive coach.
Don’t hide your light under a bushel! (this includes your gifts, strengths, unique value and contribution, essence, energy.) No matter how uncomfortable it is sometimes.
Two things especially:
1. The Simmons Leadership Conference on March 20 th – it’s always the most energizing and inspirational day of the year!
2. I have teamed up with two amazing men to write my next book: 66th Inspector General of the United States Army, General Lesley Smith and Harvard Negotiation Project disciple and relationship management expert Stuart Kliman – on the #1 leadership challenge of our time: creating value from seen and unseen human differences. To be published by Harvard Business Review Press, Spring of 2026.
Every meaningful growth opportunity I’ve had has been the result of leaders with positional power or influence believing in me and actively advocating for my elevation to leadership roles.
Parity refers to having an equal amount of something. When it comes to women, this means recognizing that women are just as capable as men of leading, including at the highest levels. However, while women make up 47% of the global workforce, only 28% hold management positions. Focused effort is needed for 1) organizations to fully leverage their female talent and 2) to inspire women to embrace their full potential as leaders.
In my work, I have seen four core challenges that slow the pace of women advancing and ultimately gender parity: 1) lack of executive commitment and engagement (including sponsorship), 2) cultural norms and ways of working that create (often invisible) barriers for women (such as communication norms or lack of feedback or behavior that isn’t inclusive), 3) work policies, systems and benefits that block or create difficulty for women to advance, and 4) lack of development (training / education / work experience / mentorship) for women that help them accelerate their own advancement.
Grace. Growth. Service: Why? They work together in my life as a trifecta. Meaning is derived when we give of ourselves in ways that add value to others (service). To continue to understand how to bring our gifts and talents to others in ways that make the world better, requires growth. The bedrock of growth is intellectual humility and seeking to better understand. As we grow, we will see our own blind spots and the blind spots (or mistakes) of others. So grace is kindness and compassion for self and others when the going gets rough. That’s why I’m committed to returning to my Best Self and helping others do it too.
These efforts – at the core – are about creating organizational VALUE.
