Once You See It… Arundhati Roy

"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no such thing as an innocent bystander."

— Arundhati Roy, Writer and New York Times Bestselling Author 

You Are Needed…Antonio Tijerino

“You are not lucky to be here. The world needs your perspective. They are lucky to have you.”

– Antonio Tijerino

Looking For A Normal Life?…Fred Rogers

“There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.” 

—Fred Rogers

Your Path To Self Discovery…Debbie Ford

You are on a soulful path that asks you to step into the greatest version of yourself. It is a sacred gift to shine your brightest light, not just in your moments of glory, but each day.

--Debbie Ford

Keeping Promises...Building Trust

"People ask me why it's so hard to trust people, and I ask them why is it so hard to keep a promise." —Unknown

Take A Stand…Howard Cosell

“Stand for something. Don’t quest for popularity at the expense of morality and ethics and honesty.” 

—Howard Cosell

Impossible Then, Possible Now...Constance Baker Motley

"Something which we think is impossible now is not impossible in another decade."

--Constance Baker Motley (First Black Woman in the U.S. to become a Federal Judge)

As we await in 2022  President Biden's nomination of the first black woman to be a Supreme Court Justice, remember the quote of Judge Constance Baker Motley above and remember this wisdom: don't let people tell you what is or is not possible for you? 

Unite Behind The Truth...Leo Tolstoy

“Since corrupt people unite among themselves to constitute a force, then honest people must do the same.”

– Leo Tolstoy

Affirming Self... Priyanka Chopra

“I taught myself confidence. When I’d walk into a room and feel scared to death, I’d tell myself, ‘I’m not afraid of anybody.’ And people believed me. You’ve got to teach yourself to take over the world.”

—Priyanka Chopra, Actress and Author 

https://www.unfinishedbypriyanka.com

Love Is...

“Love is one of those topics that plenty of people try to write about but not enough try to do.”

—Criss Jami, Killosophy

Love is feelings and emotions. But that’s not all love is. Love is doing and responsibility. Love is accountability. Love is action and love is being, all at the same time.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Respect...Annie Gottlieb

”Respect is an appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.”

—Annie Gottlieb

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB
Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me
Sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect”

—Aretha Franklin


Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today’s feature focuses on the need for respect in our society and workplace.

Respect. A value forever immortalized in the lyrics and music of the late great Aretha Franklin is one of the most important values in a civil society. It is necessary for productive public discourse, private and workplace interactions, political debates and community protests. What should be the basic ingredient of all of our relationships is the thing that is most lacking in a lot of what we see displayed on television, at rallies, and in the workplace. We lack respect for different views and people who disagree with us.

Our leaders are tasked with changing this and not being complicit in encouraging the negative behaviors that are destroying our society. As a leader, you are required to set a tone of respect for everyone in the organization. There is never a good reason to disrespect someone no matter what they have or may have done. 

In today’s featured article, the author S. Chris Edmonds says, “Regardless of how society around them continues to accept divisive behaviors and polarizing personalities as normal, today’s and tomorrow’s employees expect good behaviors -- integrity, dignity and respect -- from their employer.”

Senior leaders must set the tone for respectful interactions and discourse. Respect must also be an organizational behavior that is highly valued and demonstrated by managers and employees. Things don’t just happen, people make them happen. Good values don’t just happen in an organization, good people create environments where good values are both demonstrated and practiced.

Read It's Time For Business Leaders To Put Good First. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, check us out on Twitter: @LeadershipTues.

You Can!...Avina Celeste

“If you needed some sort of sign, here it is. Get going! You can do it!”

—Avina Celeste

#LeadershipTuesdays: Want To Be A Great Leader?

Great leaders have integrity.

Full stop period. They are not perfect, but they are motivated by core beliefs and values that are based on truth. No matter what you see and hear in the press, most people want leaders who possess and consistently act with integrity.

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 talks about the importance of leaders modeling integrity within the organization. 

In order to have integrity in your organization, you as a leader must communicate your expectations, demonstrate your values, and correct behavior that is inconsistent with a comitment to integrity. Anything less leaves the door open for behavior that will eventually manifest itself in acts that are detrimental to others and the organization.

Integrity has the opposite effect. Integrity builds trust. It builds trust and currency within and outside of the organization. People are willing to be patient in difficult times when you have built trust with them through your consistent commitment to them and truth-telling.

Check out today's resource on building trust and maintaining integrity within your organization:

"Trust and Integrity – The Core of Leadership" by Karen Colligan 

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, click here. 

by Nona O., Founder, womenatliberty.com

There Must Be Action...Mellody Hobson

"...corporate America is on notice. You can't just talk about issues. There must be action. Talk is cheap." 

--Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO & President, Ariel Investments

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com provides #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. 

Mellody Hobson has been a leading and consistent voice on racial inequality in corporate America and its unwillingness to be accountable for making meaningful change. In a frank conversation with the @TheEconomist's Anne McElvoy, Ms. Hobson speaks about how corporations can be braver on race and hold themselves accountable for the change that is needed.

Mellody's talk is required viewing for all leaders working for change as it relates to diversity and inclusion, and racial equity. Check out, "How can business be braver on race?"

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

#Leadership Tuesdays: Leading In A Crisis

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

--Abraham Lincoln

To effectively lead people in a crisis, you must have the trust of the people you lead. How do you gain their trust? You gain their trust by telling them the truth about the situation and the path forward. Telling the truth builds trust, lying destroys trust. Give them the facts, don't give them spin. People know integrity when they see it.

Secondly, they must believe that you care about them and their wellbeing. Listen to them. Talk to them, not at or down to them. Walk with them. Empathize with them.

Also, please know that your track record matters. If you have been tone deaf in the past, or if you have been callous or untrustworthy, people are not going to trust you. They're going to trust your actions.

As crisis manager and lawyer Judy Smith said, "There's always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces an individual to look inside himself, it forces [an organization] to reexamine its policies and practices." A crisis is not the end of the world. It can be the beginning of something much better than what was before if leaders meet the challenge with integrity and a commitment to change.

If we look at our current national crisis, the #BlackLivesMatter protesters are saying what we have, the policies, systemic racism, and callousness regarding black and minority lives when it comes to police accountability, is not working. Do you hear them? Don't be tone deaf.

We must take this opportunity to build something better now. But it must start with the truth. What we have is not working for all. Only then can we move to build something better that includes accountability, true equality and opportunities for all.

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com provides #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Follow #LeadershipTuesdays on Twitter at @LeadershipTues to see daily posts with resources that help you develop and strengthen your leadership skills.

Character Is...Helen Gahagan Douglas

"Character isn't inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action."

--Helen Gahagan Douglas

Take Courage...Catherine The Great

"Yesterday, I spoke to a grocery store cashier as I was coming though the check out and asked her how she was doing. She said she was alright and that she had faith and trust in God. I took time to talk to her and was encouraged by her expression of faith during this difficult time. I said a little prayer for her as I left the store.

The lesson is we can make it together. Share a little, offer a kind word. Be patient. Do what you can to make the world brighter during this seemingly dark time.

--Nona O., Founder, womenatliberty.com 

Happy 2020!

"At the dawn of this new day, year and decade, may positivity possess you, grace embrace you, and your vision propel you into greatness."

--Nona O., Founder, womenatliberty.com and #WomenMakingHistory 

Respectability Defined...Frederick Douglass

"A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me."

--Frederick Douglass

Madame Tussauds' Frederick Douglass 

For Those Who Aspire To Greatness

Some people do not care how their actions affect others as long as their goals and agenda are accomplished. But for those who aspire to greatness and really desire to leave their mark on this world, here's some wisdom to consider.

--Nona O.