#LeadershipTuesdays: "Do or Do Not"...Mellody Hobson

"We don’t want to just admire problems, we want to try to find solutions to them. So, you have to truly believe that the world is changing and that you want your customers represented inside of your company, and you want to have different types of people and brains to come up with new and creative ideas. You have to truly believe that leads to a better outcome. ...Yoda said ‘Do or do not, there is no try.'”

--Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, gave a courageous TED talk in March 2014 about an experience she had in 2006 of being mistaken for the "kitchen help" when she showed up with then Congressman Harold Ford for a lunch meeting at the offices of a highly regarded New York publication. Your first reaction is to chuckle and then you give a heavy sigh and side eye because you know that her experience is not funny at all.

Although Mellody has broken the glass ceiling and achieved success, she recognizes that other minorities and women are not being given the same opportunities to excel in their fields and reach the highest echelons of corporate power. With an authentic and courageous voice, she continues to champion diversity even though this is not her main gig. She actually runs an investment firm and sits on the board of a few firms including Starbucks and JP Morgan Chase. She says it’s time for less talk and more action. More of 'this is what we have accomplished' versus 'this is what we are trying to do'.

To watch her talk at Fortune's Brainstorm Reinvent conference in Chicago, go to our home page at womenatliberty.com. Or you may also view it here.

Follow #LeadershipTuesdays on Twitter @LeadershipTues to see daily posts with resources that help you develop and strengthen your leadership skills. Happy #LeadershipTuesdays.

#LeadershipTuesdays: A Formula For Success...Arnold Donald

"Diversity is a business imperative. The key to innovation is diversity of thinking. Having people from different backgrounds and different cultural experiences who are organized around a common objective is far more likely to create breakthrough innovation than a homogenous group.

A diverse group aligned on a common goal with a work process that fosters true inclusion, equal respect, equal voice and an equal opportunity for each team member will outperform a homogeneous group every time." 

--Arnold Donald, CEO, Carnival Corporation 

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. February is one of the most wonderful times of the year because it is the month that the United States has set aside to honor the history and contributions of African Americans. And we have Carter G. Woodson to thank for creating this sacred practice. We are forever indebted to him and the countless number of ancestors who came before us and never stop fighting for progress and a better life for those who would come behind them.

To day we recognize Arnold Donald who is the CEO of Carnival Corporation, a company most known for its Carnival Cruises and large luxury ships. However, the company has rebranded themselves in recent years as a travel and leisure company. Donald is one of only three African American CEO's in the Fortune 500. His quote emphasizes that diversity and inclusion is not charity, but it makes good business sense. 

A 2015 McKinsey study stated that companies in the top 25th percentile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits.  A later January 2018 report released by McKinsey presented data showing the likelihood had grown to 21%. (1) So, for businesses and leaders who want a competitive edge and want to outperform their competition, as Mr. Donald says, diversity is a business imperative. Diversity must not only be present in the top leaders, but it also must be visible throughout the company to be highly effective. When diversity wins, the business is more likely to be an innovator and winner, too.

Follow #LeadershipTuesdays on Twitter @LeadershipTues to see daily posts with resources that help you develop and strengthen your leadership skills. We look for and examine leadership everywhere, in politics, business, communities and entertainment. For more on #LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com.

Reference:
(1) Strauss, Karsten, "
More Evidence That Company Diversity Leads To Better Profits", Forbes.com, January 25, 2018
https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2018/01/25/more-evidence-that-company-diversity-leads-to-better-profits/

#LeadershipTuesdays: Prepared & Ready To Make A Difference...Cynthia Marshall

"I'm blessed with a good brain because I got a good education. Faith. And I know people. I know how to lead. I've made mistakes, so I know how to deal with those, too."

--Cynthia "Cynt" Marshall, CEO, Dallas Mavericks

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we are highlighting the leadership of an organization who is making changes to transform a workplace and culture that has negatively impacted the lives of women who worked for it.

Cynthia Marshall has been in news headlines recently for successfully completing a 100-Day plan to change a toxic workplace at the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Dallas Mavericks. In early 2018, it was widely reported that the 2011 NBA Champions' front office operations were plagued by complaints of sexual harassment, domestic violence, and a culture that is unfriendly to women. The owner, tech billionaire Mark Cuban, known to many from his role on the Shark Tank TV show, was subsequently cleared of any involvement or complicity by an independent investigation. To fix the crisis in the basketball operations side of the house, he personally called and recruited Marshall to be the first African American woman CEO of a NBA team.

Cynt, as she likes to be called, is a highly respected business leader and Human Resource professional who has experienced many firsts. She was the first in her family to go to and graduate from college. She was also the first black cheerleader at her alma mater UC Berkeley where she completed a Bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on organizational behavior and human resources. She brings to the MAVS job a wealth of experience from her 36 years at AT&T where she was considered a "rock star" and was the first African American head of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. She's focused on making a difference and confident that she along with the MAVS staff and employees can do it.

In her first seven months, she has:

• She hired a woman as senior vice president of human resources. 
• She added another woman in a new position: chief ethics and compliance officer.
• Over the past several months, she has increased the ratio of female management in the Mavericks organization to 47 percent female management in the Mavericks organization to 47 percent from ZERO.
• Cynt mandated respect-in-the-workplace training.
• A “zero tolerance” office culture is enforced.And she has put in place a “Mavs Women’s Playbook,” which she says “uplifts, develops, promotes and encourages Dallas Mavericks women.”*

Cuban has given Marshall carte blanche to make whatever changes she needs to transform the culture in the organization and as demonstrated by the results above, her presence and leadership is being felt. She has not only instituted training and programs for her 140 member staff, but also included the players and coaches. MAVS Head Coach Rick Carlisle stated, "It's just a completely different vibe over there. Things have changed so much -- the mood, the atmosphere, the environment, the optics and the people. It's been a great thing to see."** Good luck Cynt!

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. There you'll find resources to help you develop your leadership skills and learn from others who are successful leaders.

Sources: 

*Rick Smith, "In cleaning up Dallas Mavericks, Cynthia Marshall sets example of equality for all businesses", WRAL TECH Wire
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2018/09/20/in-cleaning-up-dallas-mavericks-cynthia-marshall-sets-example-of-equality-for-all-businesses

**Tim Macmahon, "CEO Cynthia Marshall making quick impact for Mavericks, says" Carlisle, ESPN.com
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24755991/rick-carlisle-lauds-new-dallas-mavericks-ceo-cynthia-marshall

#LeadershipTuesdays: Creating Change That Impacts The Culture...Elaine Welteroth

“…I know from first-hand experience being a young brown girl growing up in a place where I did not see myself represented on the covers of magazines or in the pages prominently featured, it has an effect on your self-esteem. And so the idea that as a journalist you have a responsibility and opportunity to change that is endlessly inspiring and empowering.”

--Elaine Welteroth, former Editor-In-Chief, Teen Vogue

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we are featuring Elaine Welteroth. 

She is a Northern California native who made history in the fashion and beauty industry as the first black beauty director at Conde Nast and the youngest and only second person of color to be named Editor-In-Chief at any Conde Nast magazine. She is first person in her family to attend college graduating from California State University-Sacramento with a degree in mass communications and journalism in 2007.

A pivotal moment occurred in this young woman’s life when, after contacting Harriette Cole numerous times via letter, email and calls to her assistant, Elaine finally got a chance to speak on the phone with her role model. Harriette Cole, who was then the Editor-In-Chief of Ebony Magazine, was impressed with Elaine and later tapped her to assist with a photo shoot of Serena Williams in Los Angeles California. Her professionalism with that assignment led to an internship and a permanent position at Ebony where she eventually became the Beauty and Style Editor.

Welteroth joined Conde Nast in 2011 as the Beauty & Style editor at Glamour. The company also owns a hosts of other well-known magazines such as Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker and Vanity. In 2012 she was promoted to Beauty and Health director at Teen Vogue. From there she was named editor of the magazine in 2016 and in 2017 she was announced as Teen Vogue’s new Editor-In-Chief.

Known for her commitment to both cultural and workplace diversity, social issues and providing a space for young voices to be heard, one of her most notable accomplishments at Teen Vogue was creating the first ever Teen Vogue Summit in 2017 which featured guests including former first lady and Senator Hillary Clinton, film director Ava Duvernay, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, actress Rowan Blanchard, Compton Mayor Aja Brown, and Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe. 

Welteroth has remained true to her passion even after leaving Teen Vogue this past January. She is currently represented by CAA and is expanding her talents into the film and television industry. Click on @LeadershipTues and see our Twitter timeline to view a recent Forbes video where Ms. Welteroth talks about the power of young people to effect change.

2026 Update: Welteroth is still creating change. None a mother of two young boys along with her husband has Jonathan Singletary, she is still very active working on projects that are close to her heart and bring her joy while living in the Los Angeles, California area. In 2024, she founded BirthFUND to bring awareness to the rising mortality rates of black women during childbirth and assist women in locating and affording midwives to support their child birth experience. 

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, go to #LeadershipTuesdays. There you'll find resources to help you develop your leadership skills and learn from others who are successful leaders.

We Are All Connected...John Gibson

"We benefit as a society when we are quiet, but are listening to what each other has to say. Because I firmly believe there is much more that unites all of us than separates us."

--John Gibson, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

To hear John Gibson's entire quote and a clip of his upcoming #LeadershipTuesdays interview: click on the video below.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Follow Your Heart...April Reign

"Find something that speaks to your passion early and determine how you can create a career around that. So don't necessarily do the thing that someone told you you are supposed to do or what you think is expected of you. But, do something that truly speaks to your heart."

--April Reign, Creator of #OscarsSoWhite

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today, we present the second part of a two part interview with April Reign, the creator of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. She is an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist.

With the creation of #OscarsSoWhite and her subsequent utilization of her expanded platform to amplify diverse voices on issues important to people and women of color, Reign has provided a textbook example of how to use social media to create social change. She has also created other hashtags like #NoConfederate to moblize a campaign against a period drama series titled "Confederate" that HBO greenlit in July 2017. The series envisions what life would be like in the United States if slavery had not been abolished. #ReignyDayJobs is another one of her creations where she provides a space on Twitter for both candidates and recruiters to tweet about their availability and job openings.

April's career advice to others is discover your passion as early as possible and determine how you can build a career around that. Be true to yourself and follow your heart.

To view the interview, click on the video below. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. The 2018 Oscars Awards take place Sunday, March 4. For more information, go to Oscars.com.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Seize This Day...Akiroq Brost

"Seize this day. Make the most of it. Don't make excuses. Focus on what you can do...today and take advantage of this precious time you were given."

--Akiroq Brost

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today, in the second part of a two part series, we talk with April Reign, the creator of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. She is an attorney, public speaker, activist and Social Media Strategist.

Many remember the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that started trending on Twitter and made headlines around the world after the Oscars nominations were announced in January 2015. "Oscars So White" was a reaction to the fact that no people of color were nominated in the 20 acting and directing categories of the Oscars. If you don't remember, the Martin Luther King, Jr biopic "Selma" was nominated in the Best Picture and Song categories, and did win the Oscar for Best Song; however, many fans felt the film's director Ava Duvernay and leading actor David Oyelowo were snubbed. History repeated itself in 2016 when no actors or directors of color were nominated and Reign's hashtag began trending again.

Reign's hashtag gave voice to movie fans and industry players who were frustrated with Hollywood's lack of diversity. The 2015 Oscars nominations were just the tipping point. #LeadershipTuesdays talked w/April Reign about the creation and impact of #OscarsSoWhite and the changes that have taken place in the industry in the last three years. Reigns shrewd activism has had a measurable impact on the issue of diversity in Hollywood. 


See the interview below. Visit the link for more information on LeadershipTuesdays. The 2018 Oscars nominations will be announced today, January 23rd at 8:22 am EST. To view the nominations live or a re-broadcast, go to Oscars.com.

LeadershipTuesdays

Confidence over Insecurity

Don't project your insecurities onto someone else. Maybe it's not that they think they are too this or that, it's that you're uncomfortable with who they are and what they represent.

I saw a television show this weekend where a group of women attacked and disliked another woman because her aproach to life and values were different than theirs. "She thinks she's too good for us. She's too quiet. She doesn't hang out with us all the time. She's a goody two-shoes." They felt this way because she did not like the same things they liked. She expressed opinions that were different from the group's opinions. So, naturally she became a target.

As adults and women, we have to be careful that we don't go through life constantly playing middle school games. Let people be who they are. That's a sign of maturity. If you are uncomfortable with who they are, check yourself first. Have the courage to do this as an individual away from the group. It maybe that her example will help you find the confidence to be more of who you really want to be rather than always fitting into the questionable expectations of the group.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Implementing A Plan For Immediate Change...Cheryl Boone Isaacs

"We don't feel that we have looked far and wide enough for the best of the best. It's not about political correctness, it's about building the best team, the best institution, the best artists. Because unless you have the best artists as members, unless you have the best artists voting on the Academy Awards, you don't have a real reflection of the best of our film culture."

--Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. 

The 2015 #OscarsSoWhite Campaign by activist, attorney and Managing Editor of BroadwayBlack.com, April Reign, brought front and center Hollywood’s diversity issues. As I’m sure you remember, that year all the Oscar nominees in the “best” acting categories were white. Selma, a highly acclaimed film about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights protests in Selma, Alabama directed by Ava Duvernay, 
received nominations for Best Original Song and Best Picture, but was overlooked for the individual performances of its nearly all black cast and director. Though, the movie did win the Oscar for Best 
Song “Glory” written by John Legend and Common.

Why did Ms. Isaacs move so quickly to address the Oscar’s diversity issue? According to Pew Research, “Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past, and the U.S. is projected to be even more diverse in the coming decades.” (i) The #OscarSoWhite campaign resonated with a lot of people and caught fire in the media fueled the highly visible voices of “BlackTwitter”.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who had made history in 2013 as the first black woman and only the third woman to hold the position of president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the non-profit organization that produces the Oscars), knew that she would have to move quickly on responding to this issue. One day after the Oscar nominations were announced and the #OscarSoWhite hashtag was born, she did an interview with the Associated Press to address the issue and stressed the Academy’s commitment to “to seeking out diversity of voice and opinion”.

Minority movie goers in the U.S. represented more than one third of the total movie goers in 2014. If a mass boycott caught on, the Academy could suffer a major decrease in its Oscars’ television audience which is estimated to be worth $75M. The industry was already dealing with a downward trend in total box office tickets sold. The dollars at stake for the U.S. film industry were $10.3B and three times that amount globally. Cheryl Isaacs and the leadership of the Academy knew that they would have to quickly 
and very publicly implement change or risk alienating a sizable group of minority movie goers. The Asian Pacific Media Coalition released a statement the day after the 2015 Oscar nominations that succinctly summed up the Academy’s problem: “It behooves Hollywood – as an economic imperative, if not a moral 
one – to begin more closely reflecting the changing face of America.” (ii)

You have to applaud Cheryl Boone Isaacs and the Academy for how they responded to the issues once they were public. They did not blame the protestors for speaking out. They did not stick their heads in the sand and continue business as usual. They took action. That year to increase its membership diversity, the Academy invited a record number of 322 new members to join its ranks of voting 
members. 

But in 2016, lightning struck twice and no black directors and actors were nominated in the acting and directing categories. This time actress Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee announced that they would boycott the 2016 Oscars. These very public and highly visible protests reignited the #OscarSoWhite hashtag and media firestorm.

In a press release, Ms. Isaacs made a public commitment on behalf of the Academy that the 
membership going forward would be more inclusive of women and minorities by “[doubling] the number of women and diverse members by 2020”. Then the Academy took more aggressive steps to 
shake up its membership pool. After the changes were approved in an emergency meeting, it sent out 683 invitations for membership, more than twice the number of the previous year’s 322 invitees. The new invitees included 46% more women and 41% more minorities.

In 2017, the Oscar announced its most diverse lists of actor nominees including six black actors and 7 nonwhite actors overall. The Academy’s actions netted a record total of 18 Blacks artists who were nominated for Oscars in 2017. Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis won the Best Actor and Best Actress in A 
Supporting Role awards. Director Barry Jenkins and cast of Moonlight, and film editor, Joi McMillon won Best Picture and Best Film Editing awards, respectively.

The Academy’s efforts will not solve all the problems regarding the type of films presented for the public to see and the diversity of actors that get work and are nominated, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Kudos to them for that, but more work has to be done in investing in minority films and productions. This, however, is a subject for another day. Today, we recognized the leadership of Ms. 
Isaacs and the Academy and we hope their efforts to implement change increases and this trend to be more inclusive and diverse continues.

Sources: 

• Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2016-2020: Cinema, PriceWaterhouse, http://pwc.com/us/en/industry/entertainment-media-outlook/cinema.html
• Oscar.go.com
•  Brent Lang, “Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Oscars Diversity Push: ‘The Door Has Opened’, 9/10/16, http://variety.com/2016/film/markets-festivals/oscars-diversity-academy-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs-1201856989/ 
•  Erich Schwartzel and Ben Fritz, “Fewer Americans Go to the Movies”, Wall Street Journal, 3/25/14, http://wsj.com/articles/SB/10001424052702303949704579461813982237426 
• “2017 Oscar Nominations Show Black Artists’ Gains”, 1/25/17, colesmithey.com 

_________________________

i)  D’Vera Cohn and Andrea Caumont, “10 Demographics Trends That Are Shaping The U.S. and the World”, 3/31/16, 
pewresearch.org

ii) Oscars 2015: Film Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs Speaks Out About Lack of Diversity In Nominations, 
1/17/15, NYDailyNews.org

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

The America We Are Trying To Create...Hillary Rodham Clinton

There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.  God bless the America we are trying to create. 

--Hillary D. Rodham Clinton, 2016 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States;
67th United States Secretary of State; U.S. Senator (2001 - 2009); and First Lady of the U.S. (1993 - 2001)

Leadership Tuesdays: The Truth About Color Blindness...Mellody Hobson

“Researchers have coined this term “color blindness” to describe a learned behavior where we pretend that we don’t notice race. If you happen to be surrounded by a bunch of people who look like you, that’s purely accidental. 

Now, color blindness, in my view, doesn’t mean that there’s no racial discrimination, and there’s fairness. It doesn’t mean that at all. It doesn’t ensure it. In my view, color blindness is very dangerous because it means we’re ignoring the problem… this subject matter can be hard, awkward, uncomfortable — but that’s kind of the point… 

If we can learn to deal with our discomfort, and just relax into it, we’ll have a better life."

--Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments & Chairperson of the Board, DreamWorks Animation

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. In March 2014, Mellody Hobson gave a courageous talk on race. A quote from her TED talk was featured on this very blog. Starting with "The Numbers Do Not Lie", Ms. Hobson spoke eloquently and frankly about the lack of diversity in leadership positions in U.S. corporations.

I believe that she nailed it when she stated that talking about race is like stepping on the third rail in a subway station. If it doesn't kill you, you will surely live with the aftershocks of the conversation for a long time. Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, experienced this in December 2015 when she stated in an interview that she encourages and expects diversity within her organization. And she said that she also expects it in the organizations of the suppliers that do business with Sam's Club. In a national television interview, she talked about an incident where a supplier brought a team to make a presentation to her senior management team and the supplier's whole team consisted of only white males. She said that she thought that that was "interesting" and she made a point to have a conversation with the supplier's leadership about it to determine their position on diversity. We'll talk more about this situation later this month, but suffice it to say she was roasted by certain groups in the press and those groups threatened to boycott Walmart because she dared talk about the lack of diversity that she still sees and experiences.

Today, womenatliberty is featuring a FastCompany article on its timeline that discusses how you can tell if your company really is serious when it comes to diversity and supporting women of color. Women of color are some of the most under-represented and underpaid groups when it comes to presence and visibility in senior leadership positions in corporate America.

Check out: Three Ways To Tell If Your Company Supports Women Of Color by By Sava Berhané. To read some of Mellody Hobson's other quotes that were featured on this blog, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

On Race Relations...Jimmy Carter

"Well, I think we kind of breathed a sigh of relief back in the ’60s, after we had 100 years of racial discrimination with separate but equal, and the Supreme Court and the Congress and everybody else agreed to that, all the churches.

And after the Johnson years of Voting Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr., Andy Young and others being successful, I think the United States kind of breathed a sigh of relief and said, well, we have resolved the race issue now, and there won’t be anymore, detectable, at least, elements of an American society where whites are in the supreme position, to the detriment of blacks.

...the recent high publicity about the police and black confrontations and the tragedy in Charleston (Shooting death of Walter Scott, 4/4/15) have reminded us that we still have a long way to go. There’s still an innate racism in our country that needs to be addressed accurately."

--Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

Fighting Racist Beliefs At Work...Lucy Liu

Being Asian in this business is something you have to consider, because sometimes people aren't as open. They'll say, I can't see you with a Caucasian person.

--Lucy Liu, Actress

*Lucy Liu is currently starring as Dr. Joan Watson in the crime drama series, Elementary, on CBS network. (2015)

#LeadershipTuesdays--Leshell Hatley: Hello World. Hello Robot. Hello Me.

"The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to."

--Marian Wright Edelman

http://www.upliftdc.org

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY  provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. The technology industry has been in the press a lot lately for its lack of diversity and its steps (or lack thereof) to increase the representation of women and minorities. I recently heard a statistics from Vann Jones that the industry will have 1.4 million new tech jobs in the next 10 years. He's one of the advocates bringing attention to the need for more diversity in the tech industry. Current forecasts suggest that the U.S. will only be able to supply 400K of these jobs.

Leshell Hatley, an engineer, educator, researcher, and entrepreneur based in the Washington, D.C. area, is preparing a diverse population of youth to be ready for the future jobs in technology. For more than ten years, she has been teaching children the "how to's" of technology. Leshell has developed unique programs that expose youth to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, and Computer Science and she has documented best practices for how to teach technology to African American youth.

Through her non-profit foundation, Uplift, Inc. and as a teacher in public and private schools, Leshell teaches K-12 students how to create mobile apps, build robots, and design gaming systems. Earlier this year she spoke to an audience in the Nation's Capital on the power of creativity in using programming and robots in education. Her work has been recognized by companies like Microsoft, the MacArthur Foundation, and Google.

Leshell is currently finishing up her PhD (2016) in Learning Technologies Design Research at George Mason University (Virginia). She is also on the staff of Howard University (Washington, D.C.) managing a National Science Foundation grant that supports women STEM faculty members.

To find out more about how Leshell is preparing today's youth for tomorrow's opportunities in technology and science, see below. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

--Nona O., Founder, womenatliberty.com

#LeadershipTuesdays: What Do You See?...Virginia Satir

We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us.
 
--Virginia Satir (1916-1988), Author and Psychotherapist

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Gloria Steinem said in a New York Times article that, "it's hard to think of anything except air, food and water that is more important than the media". Given the importance of the media, what do you believe that the images of women we see on television and in film are telling us about the value and worth of women in our society?

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of the 14th District of Michigan recently hosted a forum at the Congressional Black Caucus' 45th Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss this topic. Entitled "Miss Representation: How Women Are Portrayed In The Media" (based on a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom), panelists from the national and local media as well as women from national advocacy groups and public relations professionals led a discussion that helped the audience understand their power to change how women are currently being portrayed in the media.

Today's Leadership Tuesdays features a video commentary and a few interviews from the seminar as well as an excerpt from actress Viola Davis' acceptance speech at the 67th Emmy Awards where she made history by winning Best Actress In A Lead Role In A Drama Series. 

To see the video, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. To view the trailer from the documentary, click Miss Representation.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Using Power For The Collective Good...Juana Bordas

“Leaders who function as community stewards serve the collective and use power for the collective good.”
 
--Juana Bordas*, Principal--Mestiza Leadership International, Best-selling Author and Leader

http://www.juanabordas.com

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today is the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and #LeadershipTuesdays is featuring a quote by Hispanic business woman Juana Borders*. Bordas is a expert in leadership and diversity. Her quote reminds us that leaders who will have an impact on their community must use their power to improve and build the community and not selfishly use resources to only enhance their position and wealth.

Bordas quote is a perfect way to introduce today's article: "Leadership Styles: Transactional and Transformational" by Jannike Ohsten. The "Transactional" leader's role is to maintain the status quo and primarily supervise. This may be the best leadership style for a organization or division that has well defined processes and only needs to improve efficiency. Transformational leaders focus on employee engagement and connecting the employees' values and self worth with the organizations' core values so that they can maximize growth both the individual and the organization. A key aspect of transformational leadership is the use of motivation to effect change and improvement.

Given the problems we are facing today in our communities and business organizations like unemployment, a lack of racial diversity, income inequality, skills gaps in our workforce and rising costs and competitive pressures, we need transformational leaders who can create positive and lasting changes in their communities and companies by motivating people to use their talents to create solutions for the collective good. 

To read today's article, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 
 
*Juana Bordas is the principal of Mestiza Leadership International in Denver, Colorado. Mestiza provides training and organizational services that demonstrate the benefits of collaboration, diversity, and effective leadership. She works with corporations, nonprofits, government and educational institutions integrating the best practices and model from these diverse sectors. For more information on Ms. Bordas, click here.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Awareness Is Not Enough...Mellody Hobson

Regarding problem of minorities not being represented at the highest levels of senior management and in management positions in certain U.S. industries like technology,  Mellody Hobson said:

“Awareness is not enough. What are you going to do about it? We've admired this problem for long enough!” 

--Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments, 

Being Color Brave, A PwC Talk with Bob Moritz, PwC US Chairman and Senior Partner

Mellody Hobson speaking at Being Color Brave,
A PwC Talk with Bob Moritz

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. On July 13, 2015, Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments,  sat down with the U.S. Chairman of PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Bob Moritz, to talk about the lack of diversity that exists for minorities in the senior leadership and workforces of U.S. corporations. Mellody Hobson first spoke on this topic in March 2014 at a TED Talk entitled, "Color Blind Or Color Brave".

Although Mellody Hobson has broken the glass ceiling and achieved success and respect in her field, she recognizes that other minorities and women are not being given the same opportunities to excel in their fields and reach the highest echelons of corporate power. With an authentic and courageous voice, she told her story of humble beginnings and her climb to corporate success as one of the most respected women of color in Corporate America. 

This talk between Mellody Hobson and Bob Moritz is important because they openly talked about race and some of the problems that America is having because of its racial issues. Both Mellody and Bob gave advice on how we each can make changes within our own environment to improve relations between the races and provide more employment and leadership opportunities for women and minorities.  

 

To view this very important conversation between Mellody Hobson and Bob Moritz, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.  

--Nona O., Founder, WOMEN AT LIBERTY 

#LeadershipTuesdays: Ways Of Dealing With Differences...Mary Parker Follett

"There are three ways of dealing with difference: domination, compromise, and integration. By domination only one side gets what it wants; by compromise neither side gets what it wants; by integration we find a way by which both sides may get what they wish."  

--Mary Parker Follett

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Inevitably, we will experience times in our professional careers where we will disagree with a colleague on an issue or how to solve a problem. How we view that colleague and their abilities/capabilities determines how we will approach resolving the conflict. 

As highlighted in today's article, "5 Ways to Promote Female Camaraderie at Work" by Maria Russo, women can become prey to negativity or perpetuate it because of our natural tendency to compare ourselves with other females we are around. This comparison can lead to negative behavior that manifest itself in acts of cattiness, jealousy, competitiveness and gossiping.  It is hard enough to excel in the workplace as a woman without engaging in petty conflicts with another woman who should be an ally.

Ms. Russo challenges us in the Inc.com article to rise above the comparisons and focus our energies on accomplishing the work at hand. She also encourages us to foster community in the workplace by being supportive of others. That means being willing and open to both receiving support as well as giving support. When we are willing to give and receive support from our colleagues, we create camaraderie which in and of itself positively affects our work environment. 

To read today's article, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

Leadership Tuesdays: The Numbers Do Not Lie…Mellody Hobson

"Now race is one of those topics in America that makes people extraordinarily uncomfortable. You bring it up at a dinner party or in a workplace environment, it is literally the conversational equivalent of touching the third rail. There is shock followed by a long silence. 

Now, I know that there are people out there who'll say that the election of Barack Obama meant that it was the end of racial discrimination for all eternity, right? But I work in the investment business and we have a saying, 'the numbers do not lie.' ...There is significant quantifiable racial disparities that can not be ignored in household wealth, household income, job opportunities, health care. I [talk] about this issue of racial discrimination because I believe that it threatens to rob another generation of all the opportunities that all of us want for all of our children no matter what their color or where they come from. And I think it threatens to hold back businesses. 

So, I think it's time for us to be comfortable with the uncomfortable conversation about race. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, male, female, all of us. If we truly believe in equal rights and equal opportunity in America, I think we have to have real conversations about this issue. We can not afford to be color blind. We have to be color brave."*

-Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments; Chairman of the Board, DreamWorks Animation SKG
*This quote is an excerpt from a TED Talk Mellody Hoboson gave on March 20, 2014

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's Leadership Tuesdays' post is a courageous talk on race given by Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, at a TED Conference in March of 2014. Her eloquent discourse regarding an experience she had in 2006 of being mistaken for the "kitchen help" when she showed up with then Congressman Harold Ford (D-Tennessee) for a lunch meeting at the offices of a highly regarded New York publication will make you chuckle because it seems unbelievable. But, yet it is true. As one of only two African American Chairpersons of a publicly traded company (the other person is Ursula Burns of Xerox) she is less well known than a Beyonce or even Oprah Winfrey. However, Ms. Hobson is a highly accomplished, Princeton-educated young woman.

Her talk is both relatable and relevant. She makes a business case for businesses making diversity one of its core values and part of its competitive strategy. She also makes a human argument for why we cannot wait for the next election or another year to confront the issues of race and racial discrimination in America.

To listen to today's feature, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, click here. 

Celebrating Differences: Is It Possible?...Hillary Clinton

“What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities.”

--Hillary Clinton

Is It Possible??