Speech of the MonthExec shocks audience by talking about herself

See how one executive elicited an audible gasp from her audience, and held them spellbound for the rest of her speech

(Editor’s note: Cheryl Persad, vice president of enterprise sales at the Canada Post Corporation, gave this speech to the Women in Leadership Conference at the Rideau Club in Ottawa, Ontario, on Sept. 20.)

“Today I’m here to talk about leadership —and especially transformative leadership. This topic may be the most studied and yet least understood subject in business literature. The literature is literally overflowing with articles and books about what makes an effective leader.

“One Harvard Business Review article pointed out that more than 1,000 studies have been conducted over the past 50 years, all trying to determine what makes a great leader. Many of the studies contradict one another.

“And you know what’s surprising? All those academic studies still haven’t come up with a clear profile of what makes for an effective leader. So there’s no one-size-fits all set of personality traits, skills or styles that make for the ideal leader.

“And when it comes to women leaders, there’s probably even less clarity. That’s what makes conferences like this one so valuable. …