What does leadership mean in today’s information-rich, interdependent economy? How can we create a new definition of leadership that encompasses diversity and openness?

These were some of the central questions asked Tuesday evening as I spoke to a group of young female professionals in a glass-enclosed, panoramic annex room of the Stockholm School of Economics. The young women were part of Barbro Ehnbom’s “Best and Brightest”, or the BBB network, which brings together rising stars from the university’s economics program to form a professional network. The goal of the network is to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow in the international business community, and the members receive valuable business contacts, scholarships and even job opportunities in China, which is Ms. Ehnbom’s latest scholarship effort.

Each year one of these women is chosen as the “Female Economist of the Year,” and I had the privilege to speak alongside one of the winners, Ambassador Lisa Svensson, on a range of topics concerning leadership, work-life balance and the obstacles women face in the corporate promotion and hiring processes, and especially in establishing an authentic form of personal leadership.

I relish these discussion opportunities because they are not moments where I speak at the group or preach my belief in work-life balance, but instead as a group we help create environments where we listen to each other and share lessons learned. I am not a female CEO or executive, and listening and learning from the panoply of international experiences those young women have had allows me to better understand the challenges that lay ahead for both young professional women and men. I truly believe that in the debate itself lies much of the solution. And together we were able to identify a series of obstacles that present themselves for young people in the workplace, such as avoiding burning out, managing personal life with career, and seeking out appropriate role models and mentors.

In the end, together we concluded what many statisticians and researchers have recently said: that the most effective executive boards or senior management groups are the ones with the most diversity. And not just gender diversity, but diversity in education, life experience, culture and religion. In an interdependent world where many corporations have a presence in more than a hundred countries around the world, being able to relate to others, have empathy and an open mind are critical to success. Being able to lead both from one’s emotional side as well as intellectual side is what the future of leadership will entail, according to many of the young women. Finding role models that emulate those qualities is of utmost importance. And one person mentioned time and again that evening as such a role model was Barbro Ehnbom, the founder of the network. Her passion for mentorship, belief in those young women and dedication to their futures is key to their self-confidence and something we all need more of: women helping other women, and human beings coming to each other’s sides in an increasingly competitive world rife with challenges.

A few days ago I had the privilege of convening a large group of women from the organization SWEA, one of Sweden’s largest global networks focusing on the transmission of Swedish culture and language abroad. The topic of the evening was the plight of the “modern woman”, and the discussion centered on how we can empower women to be leaders in business while enabling them to balance career and family.

In front of a room of encouraging faces and nodding heads, I gave a 20-minute speech on why I believe that for a variety of generational, economic and societal factors this very moment is the moment that will be catalytic for women’s professional empowerment. In my opinion, the young generation of women has the hunger, education and timely set of talents that has enabled them to weather the recession better than men, retain higher employment rates and occupy fields that are growing rather than shrinking.

Women in their 20s are out-earning men in their 20s, are attaining more college and masters’ degrees, and exhibiting the leadership qualities of collaborative team-building, listening skills, empathy and organized multi-tasking that are critical to today’s information-rich technology.

Today 53% of corporate entry-level blue chip jobs are held by women, according to research compiled by McKinsey. Unfortunately, this percentage that drops to 37 percent for mid-management roles and 26% for VP and senior managers and at each stage men are twice as likely to advance than women. So what accounts for these paradoxical statistics?

I think part of the problem is that women are still struggling to balance family and career, to meld the personal with the professional in a way that sustains productivity and yes, happiness. We need to make it socially acceptable to make taking care of oneself and one’s family just as important and economically valuable as time spent at one’s desk.

This point rang true with the group of women I spoke to, and many approached me saying they worried about their daughters and granddaughters who were very successful and had extremely demanding jobs and virtually no time for themselves. How would they balance their lives without being given the tools and flexibility to do so by their corporations? Many also told me the challenges I was delineating for women today— lack of networks, lack of mentors and lack of confidence to ask for promotions, raises or time off— are the same things they bemoaned 20 and 30 years ago. So how far have we really come?

Despite this, I remain optimistic that women are breaking the glass ceiling and that the opportunities for the young generation are greater than ever before. There are great lessons to be shared between the United States and Sweden on differing, yet equally effective ways to empower women. But one thing is clear: as we encourage young women we need to speak candidly about the challenges they may face as well. Yes, they will break the glass ceiling but it will be frustrating and hard sometimes too, and they may cut themselves on the shards along the way.