Fight For Your Dreams!...Denzel Washington (Video)

Denzel Washington, two-time Academy Award winning actor, who directed and is currently starring in the movie, "Fences", a film adapted from the Broadway play written by August Wilson, joined fellow cast members* at an advance New York screening to talk about the themes in the movie. 

When asked by Jared Smith what advice he give to young actors, he said "Fight For Your Dreams!"

Cast interview after screening at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square hosted by Jared K. Smith (MTV News) in New York City.

Merry Christmas!

From @womenatliberty and Women Making History,  Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

#HappyThanksgiving from @womenatliberty and #WomenMakingHistory!

Bringing Joy To All...Henry Ward Beecher

The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy.

--Henry Ward Beecher

#LeadershipTuesdays: Gwen Ifill...Leaving A Legacy of Excellence

"Change comes from listening, learning, caring and conversation."

--Gwen Ifill, Journalist, (1955-2016)

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. Yesterday this world lost a truly great American hero and journalist. Gwen Ifill, a veteran American journalist, succumbed to cancer on November 14, 2016. She was a shero. Not because she made news headlines as a celebrity or entertainer, but because she became what she needed to see as a child. She became a role model of what it looks like to be an African American woman journalist reporting the news on television.

We watched her many interviews with presidents, vice presidents, political candidates, members of Congress and her roundtable discussions, and we had confidence that she was not pandering to the interviewee but getting the information that we needed to know to make decisions about who we would vote for or what issues we needed to know about. You would look up and see her reporting a story or at the News Hour Desk with Judy Woodruff at the political conventions, and you knew that what you were going to hear about was the real issues that were important to everyday Americans.

We will miss seeing her, but her legacy will remain forever. Thank you Ms. Ifill for becoming the career model you did not have as a child. You will always be a standard of excellence for the many girls and people of color who will watch one of your interviews and say, ‘I want to be her’.

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

Don't Forget To Smile...Joseph Addison

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.

Joseph Addison

Know Your Value!...@vnona

We spend a lifetime training, and enhancing and honing our skills and abilities. Don't let someone come along in a minute and discount everything you've worked for. Know your worth! Know your value!

--Nona O.

Hey You, Stand And Shine!...Amy Mercree

Be uniquely you. Stand out. Shine. Be colorful. The world needs your prismatic soul!

Amy Leigh Mercree

Shine Like Heaven's Glories...Emily Bronte

I see heaven's glories shine and faith shines equal.

--Emily Bronte

#LeadershipTuesdays: Shine Brightly!...Marianne Williamson

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

– Marianne Williamson (Author)

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today's quote encourages us to not be afraid to use our gifts to bring light to environments and sutuations where we are. We have been given talents, skills, and abilities by the Creator to positively impact our environoments and to unite with others for the greater good. Don't hide your light. Shine brightly. By doing so, you encourage others to do the same.

Check out last week's blog on how an organization's culture is a reflection of its leadership and what leaders must understand to change it. Read What Are Your Employees Telling You About The Organization? For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Follow #LeadershipTuesdays on Twitter by clicking @LeadershipTues.

Shine Your Light!...Katelyn Irons

"Shine with all you have. When someone tries to blow you out, just take their oxygen and burn brighter."
--Katelyn S. Irons

#LeadershipTuesdays: What Are Your Employees Telling You About The Organization?

How employees relate to individuals internal and external to the organization is a reflection of its leadership. 

--Nona O., Founder, #LeadershipTuesdays, womenatliberty.com 

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Change is hard. Changing habits and behavior are very hard. Widely accepted research states that it takes about 66 days to change a behavior. 

If changing our own behavior and habits are very hard, imagine how difficult the job a leader has trying to change an organization's culture and behavior. However, no matter how difficult the task, the leader is responsible for the overall culture and climate of an organization. Because at the end of the day, as stated in today's quote, the organization's behavior is a reflection of its leadership. 

For good advice on changing organizational behavior, read today's leadership resource found in the Wall Street Journal, "How to Change Your Organization’s Culture" by Allan Murray. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and womenatliberty.com, click here.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Being A Girl Boss...Amy Poehler

“I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind leading."

--Amy Poehler

For more info on this mug, go to: http://www.foxandclover.com/collections

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTYprovides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. It is difficult to be a leader and even more difficult to be a good leader. But if you are a women, you face even more challenges because you are judged on whether you are "bossy" or not when men are expected to be bossy. 

Today's resource will give you some examples of how guys think about leading and provide with a different perspective so you can embrace your inner "boss". To view the article, "Borrowed From the Boys: 10 Tips to Help Boss Girls Crush It at Work" from likeaboss.com, go to the Women Making History Facebook page. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Your Actions Will Define You...@vnona

If you're not a thief, you will not steal whether you're a beggar on the street or the CEO. Your #behavior defines who you are. If you want to change the things you don't like about yourself, you have to change your behavior. You must also change your environment and who you hang out with. Eagles hang out with eagles.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Go After Your Dreams...Carmen Nava

"If you really want to go after your goals and your dreams, it does involve taking some risks. Sometimes letting go is the hardest part, yet it opens all sort of doors.”

--Carmen Nava (retired), Senior Vice President, AT&T

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today's quote comes from Carmen Nava in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Ms. Nava had more than 30 years of experience in operations, marketing, external affairs, human resources, customer service and sales. She retired from AT&T inn 2017 and now is Chair of University of Southern California’s, her alma mater, Marshall School of Business.

This L.A. native took risks to get to where she is now and through her quote above she encourages leaders to do the same. She says that she left a wonderful community, home, and schools in L.A. to get the experience she needed to have the career she wanted. She resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Robert. They have one daughter.

Her story encourages us to take risks and not be afraid to leave the familiar in order to get the experience we need to obtain senior leadership positions.

To check out today's leadership article on manifesting your vision, go to today's date on the Women Making History Facebook page. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Your Actions Define You...Thomas Jefferson

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

--Thomas Jefferson

You Can Make A Difference...Gladys De La Mora

"Making a difference is always possible, especially with persistence and dedication."

--Gladys De La Mora

Living Your Own Best Selling Story...Ruby Garcia

"We can choose to be a character in a story written out by someone else or we can choose to be the author of our own story."

--Ruby Garcia

#LeadershipTuesdays: Are You A Go-Getter?...Mary Barra

"'I'm reminded of a plant manager who asked his lead engineer to explain her hiring process. She said, 'Well, we fill a bathtub with water and we offer the applicant a teaspoon, a teacup, or a bucket. Then we ask him or her to empty the tub.' 'I get it,' the manager said. 'A go-getter would use the bucket because it's faster.' 'No,' the engineer said, 'a go-getter will pull the drain plug.'" 

--Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
(Kettering University commencement address, 2013)

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we are featuring a quote that will make you laugh out loud and think, "what would I have done?".

A person who is interested in bettering themselves and their employees is always seeking opportunities to develop their staff. 
Mary Barra's quote provides us with a comical view of a leadership test. More so, it causes us to examine our own ability to think critically and solve problems. So often we get caught up in using a "bucket" approach to solve a problem because that's the tool we have been given. But sometimes you have to allow yourself to think outside of the box and envisioned a solution that does not utilize your current tools. The problem still gets solved, but it is solved in a more efficient way.

Good leaders want their employees to think critically because in the end, the employee is engaged in the organization through their contribution, the organization reaps the benefit of the contribution and the leader is recognized over time for his influence and ability to make great hiring decisions.

Read the quote again and let it inspire you  to think how you can develop a similar test that encourages go-getters in the organization. And by the way, how would you solve the problem of the bucket, the spoon and the tub full of water?
For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Looking and Moving Forward

"Keep looking forward because that is where you'll find opportunity."

--Karina Garcia

Us vs. Them

If you do the same things that they do, you are just like them. The end does not justify the means. You are just like them.

Live Your Truth...Steve Maraboli

Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.

--Steve Maraboli, "Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience"

Behaving Your Way To Greatness...Rob Bell

"What we do comes out of who we believe we are."

--Rob Bell

#LeadershipTuesdays: Personal Leadership...Ursula Burns

Who you are is about your character, it’s about the amount of energy you put into things, it’s about how much control you take of your whole life.

--Ursula Burns

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTYprovides Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Conquering Fear Through Action...Dale Carnegie

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

--Dale Carnegie

Never Forget: September 11, 2001

We honor those who lost their lives and those who selflessly worked to save them.

Choose To Live!

September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day. Six-time Tony award winning actress Audra McDonald is a living testimony of why you should choose to live and live on purpose. She attempted suicide during her college years, but thank God she did not succeed. Look what was waiting for her on this side of life.

Life teaches us that the sun will shine again, but you have to keep living and being intentional to see it. Baby steps at first, then bigger steps, and pretty soon you’re  on your way.

Reach out for help because you can not be replaced.  And just like Audra, if you keep living, your life and your story are going to touch someone.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,
call 800-273-8255 or
go to:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Characteristics Of A Good Team

Team work is: 

• Trusting in other team members 
• Partnering to accomplish goals 
• Sharing resources 
• Harmonizing for the good of the team 
• Networking to increase influence 
• Collaborating with others 
• Supporting each other 
• Working for a common goal 

Healing Your Soul Through Love and Trust ...Julie Lessman

Trust is not an obsession, it's an extension of love. When we truly love someone, we give them our heart to hold in their hands. And when that love is returned, that very trust is balm to our souls.

Julie Lessman

There Is Beauty In Truth...Jose Harris

There is beauty in truth, even if it's painful. Those who lie, twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak. But lies only strengthen our defects. They don't teach anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything. Nor do they develop one's character, one's mind, one's heart or one's soul.

José N. Harris

Leadership Tuesdays: Building Trust...Joel Peterson

But building an enduring trust is rooted in facts, in truth-telling, in delivering on promises. Though trust is earned a conversation or transaction at a time, its durability flows from a lifetime of promises kept. In a fast-food-for-thought culture of instant gratification, many don’t recognize that real trust is derivative of intentionality, discipline, and effort – saying what you intend to do and working hard to do what you say.*

--Joel Peterson, Author of The 10 Laws of Trust, Robert Joss Professor of Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Chairman of Jetblue Airways.

*Quote from "The Real Reasons Clinton and Trump Lost America’s Trust" by 

Joel Peterson


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. 

Today's quote is from a Fortune magazine article talking about Americans lack of trust in our current presidential candidates. Current polls state that Americans' trust in our political system is at an all time low.(See Pew Research article here.) 

As stated in the quote above, trust is the currency that enables us to do business with each other, build safe communities, establish meaningful relationships, and provide nurturing and supportive environments for ourselves and our families. At the root of trust is truth-telling and commitments based on facts. Trust that took years to build can be destroyed in a moment of deceit and betrayal. Conducting oneself in a way that builds and sustains trust is essential and the currency for success in life and business.  

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

--Nona O.

Your Value Starts On The Inside!..@Glo

Yes! What she said! Thanks @Glo for reminding us to know and embrace our value!

Serving A Higher Purpose...Angelina Jolie

"I have so much in my life. I want to be of value to the world."

--Angelina Jolie, Actress, Filmmaker and Humanitarian

Do It Anyway!

Don't let fear make you procrastinate and miss your goals.

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)

Finding The Right Solution...@vnona

At some point you have to admit that the numbers don't add up, the answer does not answer the question,  explanation does not explain the problem, and the excuse you have been given is not adequate.

Bringing About Change...@vnona

We must exhibit the behaviors we desire to see in others. That's the responsibility of being an adult and a #leader. This will bring about the  #change we seek.

--Nona O.

#LeadershipTuesdays: "What's on the mind of voters in D.C.?"

Watch "What's on the mind of voters in D.C.?" on YouTube 

#PresidentialPrimary #2016Elections #Vote #DCPrimary  #LeadershipTuesdays

Love and Respect

To get it, you must also give it...truth, love, respect, etc.

Guard Your Heart!

The heart is the center of our lives both literally and figuratively. We must take care of our hearts by feeding our bodies and spirits good things, love and truth and rejecting evil...evil thoughts and actions.

--Nona O.

Easter Greetings!

Happy Resurrection Day 2016!!

Happy Palm Sunday!

There is one who provided us with a model of the ultimate love and friendship. We in the Christian tradition call him Jesus.

May you know and experience the love of Jesus today and always.

The Double-Edged Sword: Being Confident

“What’s wrong with being, what’s wrong with being
What’s wrong with being confident?

What’s wrong with being, what’s wrong with being
What’s wrong with being confident?
 
So you say I’m complicated
But you’ve had me underrated”

--Demi Lovato (as perfomed by), lyrics from song, “Confident”

For women, being confident is a double-edged sword. Some people may view you as smart and self-assured, while others may perceive you as a know it all and cocky. One thing is for sure, judging someone’s confidence is subjective. Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, someone’s negative opinion of your level of confidence may really be a function of their cultural paradigm of how a woman should act and conduct herself and where her place is or should be in society.

Confident women tend to be viewed negatively in society. So it’s not surprising that women would give themselves a lower score when assessing leadership skills and management abilities as compared to how men perceive themselves in the same areas. According to the 2015 report from Development Dimensions International (DDI), “Ready-Now Leaders: Cultivating Women in Leadership to Meet Tomorrow’s Business Challenges”:

“One of the few significant differences between the sexes was level of confidence. Men considered themselves more effective as leaders. This self-confidence is reflected in how highly they rated their leadership skills and ability to tackle management and business challenges. Women, on the other hand, were less likely to rate themselves as highly effective leaders compared to their peers…"

If you are a woman, I know that you can relate to that quote. How many times have you had conversations with your girlfriends or significant other about whether you were good enough to take on a new assignment? Or if we go back to school days, we can all remember talking to our friends about whether we had what it took to try out for the basketball team, audition for the lead in the school choir, or run for a class president or any school leadership position. I would bet anyone $1 million dollars that one of the phrases you would hear in any of the above scenarios is, “I don’t know whether I’m good enough”. And while a bit of self-doubt is healthy, you have to know that your male counterparts are not saying the same things about themselves to their friends.

In Sheryl Sandberg’s book, “Lean In”, she described a situation where she and her Harvard roommate, Carrie, who were seniors, and her younger brother, David (a sophomore), took a European intellectual history class together. Carrie was considered a subject matter expert in the class because of her major. She attended all of the classes and read all of the reading assignments in the “original” languages. Sheryl attended most of the classes and read all of the readings in English while her brother only went to two classes and read one book. When it was time to take the final exam, David went to the girls to be tutored. After taking the three hour test, the girls walked out unsure of their grade and wondering if they had included enough information in their answers. When asked by Sheryl and Carrie how he felt he had done, David replied that he had gotten an “A” and guess what, he had. The girls got A’s too, but the difference was in how he felt and talked about his abilities.

How do you increase yourself confidence?

1. Study and prepare yourself. This will decrease your fear. Next, get comfortable with feeling some fear and uncomfortableness. It’s a part of the process. Valorie Burton, life coach and author of “Get Unstuck, Be Unstoppable” says, “…[you are] going to feel fear but it doesn’t have to be a stop sign. Most people feel like when they feel fear they have to stop. No, just keep moving forward.”

2. Believe in yourself. Sonia Sotomayor stated in a quote recently featured in a Leadership Tuesdays’ blog that you have got to prove the naysayers wrong who believe that you are not qualified or can’t do the work by believing in yourself and simply doing the work. See her quote here.

3. Don’t expect everyone to like you. So says Reshma Saujani, founder of “Girls Who Code”, you’ve got to become okay with not everyone liking you. It is hard work coming to grips with this, especially for women, and this doesn’t usually happen for women until much later in life. But, the sooner you become comfortable in your own skin, the better off you will be. See Reshma Saujani’s quote here.

To view a video clip from the Demi Lovato song quote above, click here. Lastly, to check out other Leadership Tuesdays features, go here or visit womenatliberty.com.

Awakening To The Knowing

Walking around everyday asleep to the reality of your surroundings...

It's okay to believe that people are basically good and have good intentions. But, know this: even among those who you may call friend, there are some who do not have good intentions towards you. Nor will they ever consider what's in your best interests.

Govern yourself accordingly.

A Lesson On Love...@vnona

You are from God and God is love. God loves you unconditionally.

Nona O., Founder, womenatliberty.com

A Conversation On Reconciling Racial Tensions…James T. Meeks

“The only way out of the tensions that our country face is that black and white are going to have to sit down and find the solution together. The only reason that you (Bill Hybels) and I (James Meeks) are able to talk about race is because we trust each other. And we trust each other because in our heart we believe that the other person is just not out to get something or making up some story… We believe that we are decent people at heart. The first thing that you really have to do, black and white people, is to get to know each other…get to know each other. And then find a solution together. And so it’s going to take us all working together and it’s going to take us trusting each other to even want to figure it out." 

  --Rev. Dr. James Meeks, Founder and Pastor, Salem Baptist Church; Former Illinois State Senator

During the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Weekend, Bill Hybels, who is Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois and also founder of the Willow Creek Association and Global Leadership Summit, invited Rev. James Meeks to Willow Creek Community Church to have a discussion about the racial problems and tensions that are plaguing Chicago, Illinois. Tensions in Chicago were recently exacerbated by the release of a video that captured the police shooting of an unarmed black youth. Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a police officer as he was walking away from a confrontation with police on October 20, 2014. Following the release of the video 13 months later, protests erupted in Chicago and major cities across the U.S. decrying this shooting as well as the recent police shootings and brutality of other unarmed people of color while interacting with police.
 
The quote above, while meant for the audience that was present during Bill Hybels and James Meeks’ conversation, is being shared because it is applicable to a wider audience. We must learn to live together or we will perish together.

To hear the conversation between Bill Hybels and James Meeks, click the link below:

Bill Hybels and James Meeks discuss racial problems in Chicago and U.S. 

A More Perfect Union...@vnona

History has taught us that consistent action on timeless principles brings lasting change. I believe the Constitution commands us to create and secure a more perfect Union for ourselves, our children and generations to come.

Are you apart of the solution or the problem? You are either one or the other. There is no neutrality in this issue.

--Nona O., Founder, WOMEN AT LIBERTY and Women Making History

Bodacious, Audacious and Courageous!...Vashti M. McKenzie

"...courage is not always needed for big and dramatic events and experiences. Courage is needed for those every day events in our lives. It takes courage to say "I’m sorry” when you’ve wronged someone. It takes courage to step outside your comfort zone to try that something new. It takes courage to go in a different direction. It takes courage to be excellent in a mediocre world. It takes courage to think honestly about yourself. It takes courage to join a protest or a cause you believe in. It takes courage to take what you have set aside for yourself and give it to someone else with no strings attached.

God didn’t give us a spirit of fear. We’re given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline."*

--Rev. Dr. Vashti M. McKenzie, Preacher, Spiritual Leader, African Methodist Episcopal Church Leader, and Author

http://thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com/

*From the devotional, Bodacious, Audacious and Courageous! To read more, click here.

Lights, Action, You're On!...Mikki Taylor

Many women live like it's a dress rehearsal. Ladies, the curtains up and you're on.

--Mikki Taylor, Editor-at-Large, Essence

Why I Do What I Do...Taraji Henson

"I love awards, don’t get me wrong, I like being nominated, but for me, it just means that that’s how many people I’ve touched. That award or that recognition is just, that’s how many people you’ve influenced through your work. Sharing a little bit of Cookie’s (Empire) pain or Yvette’s (Baby Boy) pain might be a little window into my pain or my joy. But the only way you’re going to make it live is if you at least are familiar with it."


--Taraji P. Henson, Golden Globe winning and Academy Award nominated Actress