I spoke at a women’s book club this week and was inspired by the collective wisdom of these engaging and talented professional women. The discussion focused on rejuvenating existing careers since most of the women present were happy with their organizations but saw room for improvement and wanted to make some modifications in their workplace for a more gratifying career.

These women had great insight about how their organizations could be improved and were frustrated that their ideas were rarely, if ever sought after. This situation is more common than not and compelled me to challenge them develop an action plan and present it to their respective powers that be.

Nobody likes a complainer at work since whining is contagious and toxic. But these women did not complain, they had terrific ideas that were sound and implementable and would ultimately help their teams become more successful and harmonious.

We discussed taking the plunge and presenting an action plan in a thoughtful and wisely timed way. It was clear that their bosses had optimal times for this type of discussion and these savvy women were intuitive about when a plan would be better received and contemplated than not. The women talked about dream scenarios that would make their careers ideal and how with some tweaking, their existing jobs would be much more engaging and energizing.

The energy and intelligence of this community of women was palpable and we fed off each other’s ideas in our group coaching session. The only question that remained was – would they take a risk and put these great ideas to paper, and when the time was right present them to their superiors?

True it was a risky venture but they literally had nothing to lose except the status quo and a lot to gain from their very wise solution oriented plans. We discussed the lack of leadership in so many managers and the need for professional development in organizations. In our 2 hour session we solved many of our collective issues with plans for improvement over a great meal, laughter, and new found friendships.

I was inspired by these women and I sincerely believe that they can and will be change agents in their organizations. They have the power to be assertive, pro-active, and deserve to have their amazing ideas heard. The courage level in the group rose as they rallied each other to move forward with their ideas and one woman courageously shared that she was looking for a new environment altogether since her values were not being met in her current workplace. Good for her!

The power of women in community is amazing and I was honored to be a part of this book club gathering for one very special evening. At the end of the night these women owned the fact that they deserve to be happy in their careers and so do you. It’s time to muster the courage to ask for what you need and want and supply positive strategies for improvement in your work environment. You have the power to be a change agent – so what are you waiting for – just do it!