Myla Skinner recently joined C200 as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to this, she served as Founder and Managing Partner of Quarter Five, a Business & Executive coaching firm. Myla has held the role of Chief of Staff to the CEO at OneGoal, in addition to working in and across non-profits in Chicago for more than 15 years.
This month, our C200 team launched our organization's 2023 Annual Conference in San Diego, California. The event gathered 150 of the world's most influential women business leaders spanning diverse industries. As I took the stage for the first time as the organization's new CEO, the significance of this moment weighed heavily on me, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping our organization's future.
While I projected competence, capability, and confidence throughout the conference, no one was aware of the personal challenges I had left behind at home. Just a week prior to our arrival in San Diego, I had lost my grandmother, for whom I had been the sole caregiver for the past seven years. There were a host of other issues upsetting my household, impacting my father and son. I had to effectively set aside, and compartmentalize, these personal matters so that my team and I could, together, set a new and inspiring course for C200 and its members.
Myla Skinner, CEO of C200, leads the organization's Annual Conference.
Women regularly grapple with this tension between the personal and professional, burdened by the expectation of achieving a perfect "balance." It feels like we're constantly making tradeoffs between meeting our family's needs and pursuing our career aspirations—both aspects of life that feel distinct, yet are deeply interconnected.
Deloitte’s Women@Work: A Global Outlook validates this ongoing pressure, reporting that the number of women who feel unable to achieve a work-life balance has increased. Only 37% of women responded they are able to switch off from work, compared to 45% in 2022—indicating an ever-growing “always on” culture.
The Power of the Soft Underbelly
During our conference, retired Navy Admiral Mary Jackson spoke of the “soft underbelly”—the place of vulnerability, the weak or soft spot in all of us. While I chose not to share with our members and my team all that was happening in my personal life, I was constantly checking that underbelly to ensure the levy would hold.
I’m deeply grateful that I was able to lead our Annual Conference despite the personal issues I was facing; my team and the remarkable C200 community of women leaders provided the support needed for my soft underbelly over those three days.
People often assume that women in executive positions lean more toward ‘soft belly’ than ‘hard surface.’ At the same time, we continually receive both direct and subtle messages urging us not to reveal our vulnerability or emotions. So, where does the truth lie?
I believe that vulnerability is what enables us to tap into our inner strength. While I'm no fitness expert, I know that our bodies compensate for weaknesses in one area by drawing strength from another. For example, when one hip or knee isn't at its best, the other compensates by taking on the weight. Lord knows I know this; my body reminds me more every day that I’m not as young as I used to be.
This is the beauty of women supporting one another. It's what they offer to the organizations they lead. They share the load to lighten the burden on the softer side, allowing it to recover and come back stronger. Just as the body might not always acknowledge that one side is compensating for the weakness of the other, no one in the C200 community realized that they were supporting me in areas where I felt less capable.
The Strength of Vulnerability
Brené Brown, author and research professor at the University of Houston, believes that “imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we are all in this together.” Vulnerability is a central theme throughout Brown’s work, underscoring the idea that emotionally transparent leaders are better positioned to cultivate trust within their teams, stimulate innovation, and nurture an environment of creativity.
In this way, our vulnerability is the source of our strength. It's through our moments of openness, our soft underbelly exposed, that we gain insights into the complexities of business, life, and their intricate connections. It's not a simple binary of ones and zeros or black and white. In reality, it's a complex, intricate, and uncertain journey.
As leaders, we must set an example of vulnerability for our teams, leading by example to empower others to be authentic, express their true selves, and ultimately contribute to a more inclusive and collaborative work environment.
In a world where vulnerability can often be perceived as a liability, women executives are reframing the narrative by recognizing that the power of their beautiful soft underbellies is a force to be reckoned with. We are transforming how businesses are run and creating more inclusive, empathetic, and dynamic workplaces. Collectively, women in power are not only changing the world; we are redefining what it means to lead.
