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 

When God Gives You A Vision...Nadia Lopez

"When God gives you a vision: pray, prepare, and put all your fears aside. Your light was never intended to be dimmed; there will always be distractions, haters, and all type of doubt, but your assignment is to step out on faith and walk in your purpose." 💜

--Nadia Lopez, Educator, Principal, Author, & Speaker

Nadia Lopez
The Lopez Effect

Ms. Lopez is the founder and principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brooklyn, New York. Her commitment to educating and changing the course of the lives of her scholars, the term she calls them instead of students, has been recognized with numerous awards and commendations at the highest levels of government. She is the author of "The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Woman and One Community Are Inspiring the World". 

Follow Nadia Lopez on Instagram at: @thelopezeffect. You may also view her TED Talk here: Why Open A School? To Close A Prison.

Looking and Moving Forward

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

--Karina Garcia

The Power Of A Dream and A Vision

"You can't be what you can't see."*

--Marie Wilson, Founding President, The White House Project

 

Check out this video that discusses images of women in the media and what those images tell us about how women are viewed in popular culture:


Feel free to leave a comment below!

*Quote from the "Miss Representation" Trailer, a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. View it here: https://youtu.be/W2UZZV3xU6Q

What Could You Accomplish If You Really Believed In You?...Holly Robinson Peete

Still, I wonder if more women artists, musicians and writers aren't household names because we don't have enough faith in our own pursuits to give ourselves the time we desperately need to be transformed by a creative vision.

--Holly Robinson Peete

http://hollyrobinsonpeete.com/

#LeadershipTuesdays: Be Well-Rounded...Glen Llopis

"The best women leaders I know have circular vision that enables them to be well-rounded people. For example, they have their finger on the pulse of the culture and can talk to you about the latest pop-culture news – but then easily switch gears to give you their perspective on what is taking place on Wall Street. "

Glenn Llopis, "The Most Undervalued Leadership Traits Of Women", Forbes, 2/3/14

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. There is no new feature today.* However, please see our blog archives of recent features by checking the right side of this page. 

For other Leadership Tuesdays features on leaders like Indra Nooyi, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, and more, go to our website here: womenatliberty.com. You may also visit our Facebook page, Women Making History, for additional postings on leadership and other topics of interests to women. 

*Leadership Tuesdays is on vacation in August 2015.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Leadership Is...Peter F. Drucker

"Leadership is not magnetic personality, that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people", that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations."

--Peter F. Drucker

 Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Peter Drucker is one of the world's most respected authorities on management and business. We have him to thank for "MBOs" or management by objectives, the process of tying the employees' performance objectives to the organization's goals. In the quote above, Peter Drucker says that leaders in an organization should be focused on people and helping them to develop and see themselves as achievers.

That brings us to today's article: "5 Reasons You Need To Make A Connection Culture Your Highest Priority". Michael McKinney states that:

"A culture that connects people would seem to be a high priority to leaders. Building a sense of community would seem to be a necessary first step before a leader does anything else. But a connection culture is not as common as you might expect.

Perhaps this [is] largely because our human nature still leads us to believe that we can always default to command and control when we have to. Or perhaps we just get so busy that we have no time for relationships. We just need to get the work done."

How successful we will be as leaders depends on how we are able to motivate and empower the people we lead to accomplish the organization's goals. Common sense would tell us that people who see themselves as an integral part of and connected to the organization will work hard for the organization. Leaders have the job of helping employees see themselves as an important part of what it takes for the organization to succeed. They do this by investing in the development of their people and establishing a shared vision.

Today's featured article gives us five simple reasons why creating a culture where people feel connected should be the highest priority. To read the article, click here.  For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.  



Dreams Into Vision...Toni Morrison

“As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.”


--Toni Morrison

President Barack Obama; Charles H. Ramsey, Police Commissioner--Philadelphia,
PA; and Brittany Packnett, Executive Director-Teach For America, St. Louis, MO

#LeadershipTuesdays: Becoming An Effective Leader...Aja L. Brown

“I think every leader must possess vision and they absolutely have to have a heart of service. And in order to be an effective leader you have to mobilize other leaders around you.”

Aja L. Brown, Mayor, Compton, California, 2013 --

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. In this Leadership Tuesdays' article, we meet Aja Lena Brown, the youngest mayor of Compton, California to be elected. At 33 years old, she is the Chief Executive Officer of a city with a population of more than 96,000 people (2010 Census) and a total 2014/2015 budget of almost $53 million.

Although Compton has been notoriously known for gang violence and gangs including the Bloods and the Crips, the devastating 1992 Rodney King Riots, rappers like Ice Cube, and its most famous athletes--Venus and Serena Williams, the world of professional tennis' winningest sisters, Mayor Brown is on a path to change the image of her city. She was profiled in a 6/10/15 Forbes article on leadership, "Brewing Success One Cup Of Coffee At A Time",  by Don Yaeger in which she offered the quote listed above. This millennial is casting a new vision for Compton that includes a community rich in culture, family life, and low levels of unemployment. She told Forbes that,

"An effective leader is able to reach people in their natural environment and extract their experiences and knowledge about the issues that impact them.  By this, you can show that you care about people not just from words, but by spending time and making sure they have the resources that they need.”

Mayor Brown is doing just that and seeing results. According to the article, crime is down by 34 percent, unemployment has decreased by 5 percent and more than 1200 new jobs has been added. She is committed to making a positive change in her city by believing in its residents, staying connected to them by regularly meeting with them in informal "meet and greets", and casting a vision of a better future for all. We salute Mayor Brown and wish her and her city well!

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

Nona O.

Vision = Hope...George Washington Carver

Where there is no vision, there is no hope. 

--George Washington Carver

Traits of A Great Leader...Nona

Vision, education, intelligence, compassion, accountability and integrity with a strong sense of history are the traits of a great leader. --Nona

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This week, a special issue of  Leadership Tuesdays is presented to recognize a major milestone of the oldest African American singing organization in the United States. The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC) was founded in 1932 by Thomas A. Dorsey who is credited with creating the genre of black gospel music. On August 6, 2012, the organization inaugurated its first woman as president. Dr. Marabeth E. Gentry was installed at NCGCC's Annual Conference held in Washington, D.C. from August 4 -- 10, 2012.

Dr. Gentry talked about the organization's rich history and tradition, the legacy of leadership that was imparted to her, and her vision for the organization. She is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and a retired educator who worked in the St. Louis Public School system for 32 years. After her installation services, she graciously agreed to an interview with WOMEN AT LIBERTY/Women History Maker-DC, MD & VA's founder, Nona Ogunsula.

To read the article about Dr. Gentry, click here. 

Also, this past May, I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. John T. Delaney, Dean of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, regarding the women empowerment and leadership program I launched in March 2011, Women History Makers-DC, MD & VA and Leadership Tuesdays. (See womenatliberty.com for more information.)

As a Pitt Alum, I was interested in finding out how Katz was addressing this problem in its Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Education programs. Further, I wanted to know if Katz was involved in any partnerships and/or research to 1) explain the cause for the lack of women and minorities in leadership positions; and 2) improve the status quo.

To read about the premise for our discussion and my corporate work experience and background, see "Are We There Yet? My Journey, My Climb".

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, see here.



Stand For Your Vision...Iyanla Vanzant

"When you have a vision, stand for it, stand in it, stand with it...even if it means you have to stand by yourself. "

--Iyanla Vanzant, Author, Speaker, and Minister

http://iyanlavanzant.com/

Iyanla Vanzant's most recent book is Peace from Broken Pieces.