We all know great achievers.

Women that changed our perception of the reality in some way.

In sports, art, politics. Maria Callas, Martina Navratilova, Queen Elizabeth I, the great ballet dancers- Anna Pavlova, Dame Margot Fonteyn, among many others.

Their performance usually amuses us, often brings tears- when one sees the level of greatness human being can achieve. But the question also is- what the price of such unspeakable level of skills is, and whether they were happy in their lives or not.

Maria Callas, who inspired generations of women singers, and  is considered the best female opera singer of all time, had really dramatic personal life, and died considerably young – at the age of 54.

Look at them and find your own answers to the questions.
» Read more: Women in Leadership – Do We Need to Pay a Price for Success?

Women in leadership positions face a number of challenges. It is still a man’s world and in trying to make it more equal we have to ask ourselves if we are trying to retro-fit ourselves into a man’s world or are we trying to make it gender neutral? I believe there has been movement away from the retro-fitting concept. Most women (60%) do not feel they have to act like male leaders to make it. Research is also telling us that the female style results in better leadership but there are still many challenges facing women leaders. Here are some of the more pressing issues that women need to pay attention to.

1. Delegating – Women still think they have to do it all by themselves. Skill in delegation actually makes a person a better leader and frees up valuable time to focus on the most important things.
2. Negotiation – Many women do not step up and negotiate for what they need in terms of resources. A leader cannot be shy or reticent about asking for and even demanding what they need to get the job done.
3. Balance – This shows up in a couple of ways. Leaders need to balance their emotions with some peaceful interludes. Being in high gear all of the time takes a physical toll on people. The other big one here is work/life balance. This causes a great deal of stress and anxiety for a leader when they cannot make the decisions they need to make about their own balance issues. » Read more: Challenges for Women in Leadership