Jennifer D. Hower, Esq. | Long Island Business News

Jennifer D. Hower, Esq.

Partner

Herman Katz

What leadership traits have served you well? And on the flip side, what have you learned that tends to hold women leaders back?

My ability to listen and actually hear what others are saying has served me well during my years in practice. Active listening is a skill that has to be honed. But, once you become good at it, you’re able to take information from different perspectives and use it to resolve problems and develop new opportunities.

Soliciting different opinions also helps build a real team environment. When people feel heard, and see their thoughts and ideas being put into action, they feel valued and respected. Women tend to be more empathetic then men and are naturals at building consensus. We are masters of motivation and excel at getting all oars rowing in the same direction.

One thing that can hold women leaders back is that we often struggle with  self-promotion. Marketing yourself well is an important part of career development and men typically don’t have a problem taking credit for their contributions.  However, women are generally brought up to be more modest and some of us are hesitant to seek recognition of our hard work. Women need to become more assertive in standing up for themselves and promoting their strengths, contributions and successes.

What is one quote or phrase that you refer to when you need a pick me up or inspiration?

One of my favorite quotes comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”  It reminds me that it is easy to criticize others, but that it takes real courage to be the person who is actually in the arena facing challenges head on. It inspires me to keep showing up every day with my sleeves rolled up, ready to make a difference.

Over the past two years, what as a woman have you learned regarding work/life balance?

Over the past two years I’ve learned that achieving work/life balance is possible, however you have to make it a priority. I’ve found that for me, proactively scheduling time in my day for outside activities that I deem important works best.  I try to remember that if I don’t take care of myself, both physically and mentally, it becomes hard to take care of others. You can think of self-care in terms of the safety briefing that you receive before a flight. If oxygen masks are required, make sure you put your own mask on first before assisting someone else. If you are not ok, you certainly won’t be able to help anyone else.