Wildcat PR hosted the WSC Comm Day, “Emerge,” last Thursday. Notable business community leaders in Wayne came to speak to students and faculty, providing useful information discussing the topic of leadership and educating others on why communication skills are important not only in the work place, but also in life.

At the panel “Not Just a Men’s Game: Women in Leadership,” there was a group of four influential female community members who gave great guidance on emerging as a female leader.

The women on the panel were Sandy Brown, a Marketing Director at State Nebraska Bank and Trust; Amy Gade, coordinator of Admissions Services at WSC; Molly Temme, co-owner of Miss Molly’s Coffee Co. and Melanie Loggins, owner of Majestic Theater.

All four had a very inspiring message.

“Being a woman is relatively an unimportant factor when being a leader,” Amy Gade said.

She said she hates when the terms “leaders” and “followers” come up.

“Sometimes we are leaders, and sometimes we are followers. There are points in our lives where we are both. You are never one, or the other. Otherwise, you would never learn,” Gade said.

Each of the women was asked a series of questions throughout the panel regarding how they have become such successful leaders. They have different backgrounds, but similar messages.

They each said that a woman has to be confident and hold her head high. They reinforced the fact that intelligence is a wonderful thing to have as a leader.

“Just be YOU. Whether wearing a dress and high heels, or track pants and a hoodie, be yourself,” Loggins said.

They also mentioned dressing appropriately and making a statement.

“Use your femininity to your advantage . . . and red lipstick never hurts!” Younts said with a smile.

As leaders within the community, they have a lot of responsibilities on their plates. Whether it is meetings, speaking in front of large groups, or hosting events, one thing they shared is that they always come prepared sometimes even overly prepared.

“I always prepare for everything, and try to have an answer for any question I could possibly be asked,” Brown said.

And all four women couldn’t have been more prepared. Each of them inspired the audience with everything they had to say.