A Guide to Authentic Leadership with CMO & Mentor Dionne Aiken Full Circle: Finding Your Way Home

There has been a lot of progress when it comes to gender equality, but the truth is women still face obstacles when it comes to reaching executive positions. Join me as I chat with Dionne Aiken, the Chief Marketing Officer of a major global organisation, to talk about her journey as a successful female leader. Although in 2023 only nine women are leading FTSE 100 companies, Dionne has managed to break through the glass ceiling and reach the top of her industry.
In this episode, Dionne shares interesting insights on leadership, juggling family and professional life, and what it takes to successfully navigate a leading global organisation. Dionne also discusses the importance of female empowerment, how a family-first leadership style promotes inclusivity, and how you can improve your leadership skills. So, if you’d like to learn from an award-winning and inspiring female leader, don't miss this episode!
 
Quotes
 
“I guess in terms of my journey I wanted to empower other women… I just wanted to ensure that I’d walked the walk before I could help others.” – 02:38
“Life balance, I think, right now, is about work-life integration.” – 12:13
‘’I work really hard to ensure that my team feels safe being parents and that they are able to say, ‘my child is sick’ and know that they’ll be met with, ‘that’s okay’. I think it’s very important to be inclusive and create an environment where people feel safe.’’ -15:25
‘’If we look at the FTSE 500, there are 47 female CEOs - 2 of whom are black – and so as a percentage that’s 9.4% women, and 0.04 black female CEOs. And if we move to the FTSE 100 there are 9 female CEOs and 0 black women. That’s a problem. But it’s so easy for us to say ‘gender parity’ and ‘let’s uplift each other’ and say men need to join us on the journey, but oftentimes there’s a conversation to be had about women supporting women.” – 20:56
Time stamps
 
00:00 – Introduction to Dionne 
02:35 – Dionne’s journey to becoming CMO
04:56 – How Dione’s granddad encouraged her to be a leader, not a follower06:40 – What it’s like to be a leader today 
08:02 – Dionne’s leadership journey
10:17 – Determining what leadership models to use and when11:28 – Finding the balance between work life and family life 13:39 – How to be worthy of the position you earned15:25 – Dionne on the qualities that modern leaders must possess
17:37 – The challenges of navigating a big global organisation
24:48 – Why women need to support each other in competitive fields  
25:53 – What makes a great leader 
33:35 – Advice for female leaders who want to unlock their power37:45 – Things to do to be great38:43 –Dionne’s biggest learning curve and wake-up call45:29 – How to connect with Dionne
 
Dionne Socialshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dionne-aiken-91a4996/
  
Gillian Socialshttps://www.instagram.com/gillian_mcmichael/https://www.tiktok.com/@gillianmcmichaelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-mcmichael/ https://www.facebook.com/GillianMcMichaelMasterCoachhttps://www.gillianmcmichael.com
Full Circle Global Socialshttps://www.instagram.com/fullcircleglobal/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/full-circle-development-consultancy/ https://www.facebook.com/fullcircleglobal/https://fullcircleglobal.com
Order my book, “Coming Home: A Guide To Being Your True Self”
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