Diversity is important for the strength and resiliency of a company. However, leadership positions in the American workforce are woefully homogeneous. White males are over represented, and females tend to fade into the background. One group though, Girls Leadership, an Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit is working to remedy the situation. The organization is teaching girls life and leadership skills such as how to foster healthy relationships, bolster emotional intelligence and assert themselves with skill and confidence. Simone Marean, the organization’s executive director and cofounder, says that one important skill her group teaches is the ability to fail. She says that perfection has become an enemy, and the intense pressure to succeed often keeps women from trying in the first place. “At Girls Leadership, we really try not to talk about success, because so often, success is defined externally,” says Marean. “Traditional definitions of successful leadership are based on external factors.” Instead, the group teaches women to think about leadership internally, and make them understand that it's okay to try new things. Of course, mistakes will be made, but the group reinforces the idea that mistakes are part of the process.