Leadership...Ken Blanchard

Too many leaders act as if the sheep.. their people.. are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.

--Ken Blanchard

Silence No More!

Some issues are too important for us to be silent. Do you have the courage to speak out or stand with those who are speaking out and lend your support?

 

What Kind Of Difference Will You Make?...Jane Goodall

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

― Jane Goodall

Remove This Burden From Their Lives...Maya Angelou

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible. --Maya Angelou

Source: Wisdom from Karen Nemeth and Session Participants: Building Multicultural Multilingual Communities in ECE Programs,  http://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/2011/05/karen-nemeth/

The Rarest and Most Beautiful...Mulan

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” 

--Mulan

Leadership Tuesdays: To Live With Honor...Socrates

"The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."

--Socrates

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. A conversation with John T. Delaney, PhD., Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, about the current state of women in executive leadership and why women do not choose to get advanced business degrees at the same rate they obtain professional degrees in other areas, like law and medicine, was the catalyst for a series of blogs and articles about the subject. In full disclosure, I received my MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh and I got a very good education there.  I invite you to read the series of articles here.  Next week, I will conclude my series, "Are We There Yet? My Climb and Journey" which talks about the reasons I went to Business School and some of my experiences in Business School and working in corporate America for AT&T.   

For more on Leadership Tuesdays,click here.

Money or Power?...Marian Wright Edelman

Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.  --Marian Wright Edelman

Walk The Talk...Mahatma Gandhi

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” --Mahatma Gandhi

So You Say You Want To Be A Champion!!

Champions prepare for worthy opponents and compete valiantly according to the rules. If you want to be a champion, play by the rules!

Team Victory...Howard Schultz

Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from one person, but from the joint achievement of man.  The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another. 

--Howard Schultz, Founder & CEO of Starbucks

Remember, You're Upfront For A Reason...Ethel Merman

I can never remember being afraid of an audience. If the audience could do better, they'd be up here on stage and I'd be out there watching them.

--Ethel Merman

Now go ahead and do your best!

I Am My Neighbor's Keeper...Carl Schurz

From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor's rights without striking a dangerous blow at your own.

--Carl Schurz

Leadership Tuesdays: I Never Gave Up...Lillian Vernon

“I became successful due to several reasons. I never gave up and I never let anyone or anything get in my way. I use the power of positive thinking to tackle obstacles and challenges so they don't defeat me. Passion for my work and my business is another important reason. I really love my work and I get great satisfaction from it.”

– Lillian Vernon

Honor Your Commitments...Les Brown

Honor your commitments with integrity.  --Les Brown

The Rainbow

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high,

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true.
(Written by E.Y. Harburg)

God said, "This is the sign of the promise I am giving to you and every living being that is with you for generations to come. Genesis 9:12 (God's Word Translation)

I Am Only One, But...Helen Keller

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. 

 --Helen Keller

Don't Like Snow, Don't Move To Alaska...William Faulkner

To live anywhere in the world today and be against equality because of race or color is like living in Alaska and being against snow.

--William Faulkner

Great Spirits...Albert Einstein

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” 

 --Albert Einstein

My Country...Carl Schurz

"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right."

--Carl Schurz

Image Source: http://www.usmint.gov/historianscorner/?action=coinDetail&id=29473

Prayers for 9-11

Today we pray for the families of those lost eleven years ago on September 11th. We pray that today the memories of your loved ones bring you greater joy than the grief of their loss.

We also pray for those heroes who responded to the emergencies associated with the tragedies in New York City, Arlington, Virginia and Shanksville, Pennsylvania whose lives are forever changed.

We will remember you and never forget!

To Serve First, Then To Lead...Robert Greenleaf

"It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant--first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served."

--Robert Greenleaf

God's Gift To Children...Bill Cosby

"What is it about grandparents that is so lovely? I'd like to say that grandparents are God's gifts to children. And if they can but see, hear and feel what these people have to give, they can mature at a fast rate." 
--Bill Cosby

Happy National Grandparents Day!

Making A Real Difference...Nona

It's easier to observe or talk about the problems in the world than it is to do something to really help one person experiencing the problem.  --Nona

A Great Leader...Rosalynn Carter

A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.

--Rosalynn Carter, First Lady of the United States (1977 - 1981)

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This blog is Part III of the series, "Are We There Yet? My Climb and Journey". In this blog, I talk about a few bumps in the road or incidences at AT&T that occurred while I was getting my MBA in an Executive Education program at the University of Pittsburgh.  These incidences became a turning point in my career.  

A conversation with John T. Delaney, PhD., Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, about the current state of women in executive leadership and why women do not choose to get advanced business degrees at the same rate they obtain professional degrees in other areas, like law and medicine, was the catalyst for this series.

____________________

As a company, AT&T was committed to diversity. First of all, they had a company statement to support diversity and denounce discrimination. They also provided diversity training for their employees. In fact, across all of their divisions, AT&T had implemented by the late 1990’s all of the steps referenced in Frank Kalman’s recent article on Diversity-Executive.com, “Five Steps to Embed Diversity and Inclusion Into Organizational Culture”.[i]  (See below for the “Five Steps”) Personally, I saw their support of my business education at the University of Pittsburgh as a demonstration of this commitment. However, two specific incidents that occurred during my MBA program with my local division’s leadership left me with a very negative impression of my local management.

Let me start off by saying it was the company’s policy that once they decided to support an employee in an Executive Education program, they would be fully funded for the duration of the program.  However, my division, without cause, tried to re-nig on certain parts of its financial commitment to my Executive Education program. While I was completing my MBA program, I along with several other employees in my group was moved into a new division because of the dissolution of an international only government marketing team. As time drew near for the capstone class trip that would include travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, Italy, and France, my new division...

To read the rest of the story, click here. For more on Leadership Tuesdays,click here.

Trust and Integrity...Brian Tracy

"The glue that holds all relationships together -- including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity." 

--Brian Tracy

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This blog is Part III of the series, "Are We There Yet? My Climb and Journey". In this blog, I talk about a few bumps in the road or incidences at AT&T that occurred while I was getting my MBA in an Executive Education program at the University of Pittsburgh.  These incidences became a turning point in my career.  

A conversation with John T. Delaney, PhD., Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, about the current state of women in executive leadership and why women do not choose to get advanced business degrees at the same rate they obtain professional degrees in other areas, like law and medicine, was the catalyst for this series.

____________________

As a company, AT&T was committed to diversity. First of all, they had a company statement to support diversity and denounce discrimination. They also provided diversity training for their employees. In fact, across all of their divisions, AT&T had implemented by the late 1990’s all of the steps referenced in Frank Kalman’s recent article on Diversity-Executive.com, “Five Steps to Embed Diversity and Inclusion Into Organizational Culture”.[i]  (See below for the “Five Steps”) Personally, I saw their support of my business education at the University of Pittsburgh as a demonstration of this commitment. However, two specific incidents that occurred during my MBA program with my local division’s leadership left me with a very negative impression of my local management.

Let me start off by saying it was the company’s policy that once they decided to support an employee in an Executive Education program, they would be fully funded for the duration of the program.  However, my division, without cause, tried to re-nig on certain parts of its financial commitment to my Executive Education program. While I was completing my MBA program, I along with several other employees in my group was moved into a new division because of the dissolution of an international only government marketing team. As time drew near for the capstone class trip that would include travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, Italy, and France, my new division...

To read the rest of the story, click here. For more on Leadership Tuesdays,click here.

Can You Create A Winning Team?...Roosevelt Thomas

For future business leaders, the state of business, and our country, we need to get beyond seeing diversity as just achieving the desired profile-whether it be racial, a gender balance, or even a certain age mixture. We assume that if we get rid of all of the "isms" -racism, sexism, and so forth-that everything will be okay. Wrong. If you don't know how to manage a diverse workforce, you won't move your company forward. The challenge becomes: Can you, as a manager, create an environment that allows you to access talent, however it comes packaged?

--R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., Subject-Matter-Expert, Diversity Management 

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This blog is Part III of the series, "Are We There Yet? My Climb and Journey". In this blog, I talk about a few bumps in the road or incidences at AT&T that occurred while I was getting my MBA in an Executive Education program at the University of Pittsburgh.  These incidences became a turning point in my career.  

A conversation with John T. Delaney, PhD., Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, about the current state of women in executive leadership and why women do not choose to get advanced business degrees at the same rate they obtain professional degrees in other areas, like law and medicine, was the catalyst for this series.

____________________

As a company, AT&T was committed to diversity. First of all, they had a company statement to support diversity and denounce discrimination. They also provided diversity training for their employees. In fact, across all of their divisions, AT&T had implemented by the late 1990’s all of the steps referenced in Frank Kalman’s recent article on Diversity-Executive.com, “Five Steps to Embed Diversity and Inclusion Into Organizational Culture”.[i]  (See below for the “Five Steps”) Personally, I saw their support of my business education at the University of Pittsburgh as a demonstration of this commitment. However, two specific incidents that occurred during my MBA program with my local division’s leadership left me with a very negative impression of my local management.

Let me start off by saying it was the company’s policy that once they decided to support an employee in an Executive Education program, they would be fully funded for the duration of the program.  However, my division, without cause, tried to re-nig on certain parts of its financial commitment to my Executive Education program. While I was completing my MBA program, I along with several other employees in my group was moved into a new division because of the dissolution of an international only government marketing team. As time drew near for the capstone class trip that would include travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, Italy, and France, my new division...

To read the rest of the story, click here. For more on Leadership Tuesdays,click here.

Leadership Tuesdays: Could Your Daughter Work Here?...Alison Maitland

A good way to start a conversation about whether a corporate culture is inclusive is to ask, “What would your daughter think about working here?” or, “Do you think your daughter—or niece or granddaughter—would find it easy to make as successful a career here as you have?”

--Alison Maitland

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This blog is Part III of the series, "Are We There Yet? My Climb and Journey". In this blog, I talk about a few bumps in the road or incidences at AT&T that occurred while I was getting my MBA in an Executive Education program at the University of Pittsburgh.  These incidences became a turning point in my career.  

A conversation with John T. Delaney, PhD., Dean of the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, about the current state of women in executive leadership and why women do not choose to get advanced business degrees at the same rate they obtain professional degrees in other areas, like law and medicine, was the catalyst for this series.

____________________

As a company, AT&T was committed to diversity. First of all, they had a company statement to support diversity and denounce discrimination. They also provided diversity training for their employees. In fact, across all of their divisions, AT&T had implemented by the late 1990’s all of the steps referenced in Frank Kalman’s recent article on Diversity-Executive.com, “Five Steps to Embed Diversity and Inclusion Into Organizational Culture”.[i]  (See below for the “Five Steps”) Personally, I saw their support of my business education at the University of Pittsburgh as a demonstration of this commitment. However, two specific incidents that occurred during my MBA program with my local division’s leadership left me with a very negative impression of my local management.

 

Let me start off by saying it was the company’s policy that once they decided to support an employee in an Executive Education program, they would be fully funded for the duration of the program.  However, my division, without cause, tried to re-nig on certain parts of its financial commitment to my Executive Education program. While I was completing my MBA program, I along with several other employees in my group was moved into a new division because of the dissolution of an international only government marketing team. As time drew near for the capstone class trip that would include travel to Prague in the Czech Republic, Italy, and France, my new division...

To read the rest of the story, click here. For more on Leadership Tuesdays,click here.

The Inner Image of Yourself...John MacDonald

”Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man [woman] who won't cheat, then you know he [she] never will.”

--John D. MacDonald

This Makes You A Leader...Rick Warren

Doing the easy thing makes you popular. Doing the hard thing makes you a leader.

--Rick Warren,  Author of "The Purpose-Driven Life" and Pastor of Saddleback Church, Southern California

Humanity Defined...Desmond Tutu

A person is a person because he [she] recognizes others as persons.  

--Desmond Tutu