The New Economy of Feminine Leadership
In a world where leadership models of “powering over” dominate work culture, alternative models of leadership are begging the question — what about “powering with and behind”? How might the regenerative principles of feminine leadership help brands reimagine their culture from the inside-out by leaning into somatic intelligence, collective gut instinct and organizational mind-body-heart?
Jee Chang, Founder of UME Design Studio
In episode 30, we explore the embodied intersection of business, brand and leadership with Jee Chang, founder and Leadership Director of UME Agency, a collaborative design studio on a mission to create a more vibrant, livable future for all of us by helping brands grow from the inside-out. Her work focuses on elevating principles of feminine leadership and to move hearts and minds to greater consciousness in business whether it be through executive coaching, brand strategy & design, or teaching at Parsons – The New School.
In this dynamic conversation, we unpack the inside-out philosophy that powers UME, which can also be mapped onto the body-heart-mind connection — where business is the body, brand is the heart (what you stand for and why you exist) and leadership is the mind (to empower teams to grow). Supporting this philosophy, we peel back the layers of feminine leadership that guide inside-out everything, from how teams function, client relationships to approaching creative and design thinking.
Unlike traditional models of leadership that “power over,” feminine leadership is relational, holistic and regenerative — inviting even more abundance, creativity, innovation, trust, possibility and collaboration by “powering with and behind.” By serving others to find their power and answers within, feminine leaders (by no means restricted to women) have the capacity to take a step back and nurture the right space for holistic growth and possibility to happen organically. By letting go of the old model of leadership relying exclusively on action and measurable linear growth, we can reimagine an emergence of feminine leadership (think future “Chief Gut Officer”) that welcomes the power of intuition and gut checking business decisions with a radically new feminine lens. How might we use our gut, or second brain, as the new metric for how we work and co-create together?
“Feminine leadership is a way of serving others to be able to find their power, and in doing that, I believe it reignites for those to then serve others to find their power, so it becomes regenerative.”
We cover this and other soulful explorations, including:
Growing up Korean-American and how identity shaped her lens on leadership
Why brand, business and leadership are inseparable in thinking about how organizations evolve and change
What it takes to reimagine a brand from the inside-out
The organic journey from Creative Director to Leadership Director in an all-women’s collaborative design studio
Unpacking the guiding principles of Feminine Leadership and how this style can impact the most rewarding creative work and collaboration
Somatic practices that you can use today to elevate consciousness and connection in your work space
