#LeadershipTuesdays: Laws of Leadership for Black Women

"In order to become a leader and remain an effective one, you must always consider yourself a Very Important Person (VIP). This doesn’t mean that you should be arrogant or cocky and walk into your job believing that you already know everything you need to know. 

Instead, it means that you need to feel confident that you are bringing much value to any workplace and that your cultural strengths, values, and work ethic will stand you in good stead as you go about learning how to do your job, and that you will be successful despite any challenges you may face, whether they are small or large."

--Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood and Rhonda Joy McLean Joy McLean, Authors, "Laws of Leadership for Black Women"

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 we offer an inspiring quote from the authors of "The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women" and a recent Wall Street Journal article on the disappointing lack of women in CEO roles.

Currently there are 33 women CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies, a net increase of nine from 2018 to 2019. For women of color, the results are not so promising. Ursula Burns, one of the most visible black women Fortune 500 CEOs, retired from Xerox as the CEO and Chairman of Xerox in 2016 leaving a definite void. Last year, Mary Winston was the only one woman of color on the list of Fortune 500 CEOs when she was named interim CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond. She held the interim position for seven months.

The issues that are preventing women from reaching the top leadership positions include access to C-Suite positions, being considered for the "CEO pipeline", and also sponsors that help them get leadership opportunities in operations where they will get profit and loss (P&L) responsibilities. One thing is for sure you have to have mentors and sponsors who believe in you and your abilities and are willing to open doors for you. Otha "Skip" Spriggs, President and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council, a nonprofit organization that opens channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives, said that there is not a lack of talented and qualified Black managers, but there is 'an access issue'.

Lastly as the quote above encourages, women especially women of color must see themselves as C-suite and CEO material and prepare yourself throughtout your career for these type of opportunities. Seek training and assignments that will develop your leadership skills. Further, don't get pigeonholed in traditional managerial tracks that don't offer P&L and other operations' experience. You are capable, you are smart, you bring value and you have a work ethic that prepares you to lead at the highest level. Carpe Diem!

To read today's featured article, "Where Are All the Women CEOs ( WSJ), click here. Follow us on Twitter at: @LeadershipTuesdays

or visit womenatliberty.com.

Leading By Example...Himanshu Bhatia

"As a leader, it's a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow." 

-- Himanshu Bhatia, Founder and CEO, Rose International

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTYpresents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's article highlights one company's, namely Apple, latest effort to improve diversity at the tech giant where there has been slow progress in increasing the representation of minorities and women. See "Apple's New Diversity Officer Will Report Directly to CEO".

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, 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.

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.

#LeadershipTuesdays: The Trouble With Needing People To Like You

"Let’s be clear. There’s nothing wrong with being liked. But the desire to be liked is what can get us into trouble. The bitter truth is that no matter how hard you try, there will always be people out there who don’t like you. Learning to be okay with that is hard work, but you’ll like yourself so much more for it."

--Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and Author, "Women Who Don’t Wait in Line"

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. We all want to be liked, but when you as a mature adult "need" to be liked, you become a slave to other peoples opinions and expectations.

The quote above is from a Forbes Mentoring Moment article by Reshma Saujani entitled, "Why Women Need To Stop Worrying About Being Liked". The quotes beautifully captures the dangers of being beholden to other people's opinions of you. As leaders women must be confident in themselves and who they are. We should all try to be nice and kind to our co-workers and employees. But, there is nothing wrong with being confident and firm. That's does not give anyone an excuse to be rude. You can be direct, pleasant, and firm. It's a skill that you can learn and develop. Read the article and you will definitely gain insight from Reshma Saujani's experiences.

Last week's #LeadershipTuesdays blog was based on a quote from U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor about believing in yourself and your abilities. To read that quote and blog, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

#LeadershipTuesdays: You've Got To Believe In Your Abilities...Sonia Sotomayor

"In every position that I've been in, there have been naysayers who don't believe I'm qualified or who don't believe I can do the work. And I feel a special responsibility to prove them wrong."

--Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Supreme Court Justice

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. It's 2016! If you are reading this blog that means you made it! Congratulations! You have been blessed with a blank canvas to begin your 2016 masterpiece.

You may not have all of the paints or colors you want or you may not even know exactly what you want your masterpiece to look like right now, but know this: you have been blessed with opportunity. So, to help you take advantage of this opportunity, check out "Setting New Year Resolutions For Your Career" by Amy Lindgren. This article offers great advice on setting career goals for 2016. Amy is president of a career consulting firm and she has a lot of experience helping clients achieve their career goals. She suggests that you start your planning process with "where you want to be in January 2017" and then create your plan with that goal in mind. Read her article and you will be led through a brief process that will help you begin to identify the short term objectives and tasks you need to accomplish your overall goal.

Well, here's to a great 2016! For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

#LeadershipTuesdays: Motivating People For Optimal Results...Cindy Holland

"How do they need to hear the input to get the best results out of them? In management, it’s about understanding how the person thinks and even figuring out the right choice of words that will help unlock their creativity and desire to do something."

--Cindy Holland, Vice President-Original Content, Netflix

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 feature is Cindy Holland. She is the Vice President for Original Content at Netflix, the company who provides on-demand streaming of television shows and movies via the internet and subscription-based rentals to more than 65 million subscribers in the U.S. and over 40 countries in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe. Netflix has been an innovator in how people access entertainment and they have soared in popularity and revenue as traditional competitors in the space, like Blockbuster, has fallen by the wayside.

With shows like House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black, Netflix has made a name for itself in the original programming space. Ms. Holland, responsible for “greenlighting” original content, has been with the company for 13 years and assumed her current role in 2012. In a November 2015 article entitled "Learning To Lead On A Pair of Skis", she talked with Adam Bryant of the New York Times’ Corner Office column about her approach to leadership at a disruptive technology and entertainment company like Netflix.

The fun part of her job is saying “yes” to projects starring lesser known talent that may have been rejected by other networks. But at the same time she also has the unenviable task of saying “no” to projects that are attached to well-known names and talent that she feels is not right for her company. One of the things that Cindy talks about is how it can be challenging to give feedback in these circumstances and how a leader must think and what they have to know about people, the projects being presented, and the overall goals/objectives of the organization to get the best results for the team.

Click here to see the Corner Office interview and to read a more in-depth article written by Adam Bryant. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

#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: When Its Okay To Be Inpatient...Ursula Burns

“We all need to be more impatient with the status quo. I believe we all need to shift the emphasis of our thinking -- from why we can't create more jobs to how we can create more jobs… from why we can't compete to how we can compete… from why hunger, poverty and injustice exists in the world to how they can be eliminated...In other words, we all need to be a little more impatient.”*

--Ursula Burns, Chairwoman and CEO, Xerox

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 on Mellody  Hobson, Jessica Alba, the importance of trust to an organization, business ethics, how to manage conflict and more, check the right side of this page. For more Leadership Tuesdays features, 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.


*Source: http://www.xerox.com/assets/images/corporate/pages/about-xerox/leadership/CEO_landtop_en-us.jpg

#LeadershipTuesdays: Leadership Is...Bill Bradley

"Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better." 

--Bill Bradley, American Hall of Fame Basketball Player, Rhodes Scholar, and Politician

 
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' features is an article which appeared on Elle.com entitled, "Why Lady Bosses Are the Best" by Jessica Grose. Often women leaders take on their roles and immediately have to combat long-held stereotypes. Since yesterday was Memorial Day, I am reminded of the military movie starring Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington, Courage Under Fire.  When a soldier (Lou Diamond Phillips) under Captain Karen Emma Walden's (portrayed by Meg Ryan) command wanted to criticize her leadership, he resorted to all of the cliches about women leaders:  she was emotional because she cried; and she was scared because the soldier disagreed with her tactical decisions about an incident.

When both men and women state that they 'prefer male bosses', as quoted in a 2014 Gallup Poll referenced in the above article, it makes you wonder how much these cliches affected the opinions of those who answered the survey about women leaders/bosses. This article suggests that how women leaders are depicted in movies, TV shows and popular culture affect how we feel about women leaders/bosses.

The writer, Jessica Grose, uses her own experiences with two prominent female leaders to refute the myths that women are not good bosses.  She attributes their leadership example as being key to her own development and growth in her career.  

This article is worth the read because it gives a reference of examples where women led by example and how you can use their experience as a reference to develop your own leadership style.

To read today's article click here or go to: Women Making History Facebook page (article posted on the date of this blog). For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

V. Nona Ogunsula

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. 

A Woman On A Mission...Estee Lauder

I was a woman with a mission and single-minded in the pursuit of my dream. 

--Estee Lauder

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today we feature an article, "One quality all young female leaders should have", Fortune magazine (Online, 1/22/15) written by Sandi Peterson, Group Worldwide Chairman at Johnson & Johnson.

Below is a quote from the article that rang true for me: 

"Leaders who make things happen have both confidence and courage. Many view these traits as innate, but they can be – and they need to be – cultivated. Confidence comes from doing your homework – you need to to know your business and your market. And courage is the constant willingness to go beyond your comfort zone. Doing so will help you gain deeper insights and analysis."

Did this quote resonate with you? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

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

Nona O.
WOMENATLIBERTY.com

Leadership Tuesdays: Competent And/Or Nice...Sheryl Sandberg

"If a woman is competent, she does not seem nice enough. If a woman seems really nice, she is considered more nice than competent. Since people want to hire and promote those who are both competent and nice, this creates a huge stumbling block for women. Acting in stereotypically feminine ways makes it difficult to reach for the same opportunities as men, but defying expectations and reaching for those opportunities leads to being judged as undeserving and selfish."

--Sheryl Sandberg, from the New York Times Best Selling Book, "Lean In"

For more info on "Lean In" and the organization behind the book, click here.

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. It's March and that means it's Women's History Month. All month we have featured quotes by women and those who are supportive of women in leadership and women having an equal role in society. Today's Leadership Tuesdays quote is taken from Sheryl Sandberg's book, "Lean In", a New York Times Bestseller that was released one year ago this month.  

Ms. Sandberg's book and a subsequent campaign, Ban Bossy, which was launched last week, has definitely increased awareness about women leaders, the way women lead and the different expectations society has on girls and boys. She is not the first to talk about women in leadership or women aspiring to be high-powered executives while yet maintaining fulfilling family lives and a "life" outside of work.  I was especially encouraged in the early days of Leadership Tuesdays by a McKinsey video that was published in 2008. In this video, Shelly Lazarus, then CEO and chairman of Ogilvy, talked boldly about how she managed the demands of her career and family life. Check out her quote that inspired the Motivational Moment, "Be Who You Are".  To see the McKinsey video that includes former CEOs Shelly Lazarus and Andrea Jung, click here. 

As I reflect on Leadership Tuesdays and the three years it has been in existence, I continue to be inspired by the wisdom of women leaders like Ursula Burns, Ann Fudge, and Madeleine Albright. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and our recent features, please visit our website, womenatliberty.com.

Leadership Tuesdays: What Women Should Know...Ann Fudge

"Sometimes women feel that they have to exhibit a certain male-like behavior in order to be successful, particularly as they move up to the ranks and find that there are less women. And I think that's the biggest mistake that women make. It's be yourself. And your smarts, your ability to relate with people, don't try to diminish that in any way because it's a combination of that intelligence and that ability, perhaps unique to women, to work with people, that I think gives us the edge over the long term."

--Ann Fudge, Former CEO of Young and Rubicam, Philanthropist

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. Ann Fudge is the former CEO of Young and Rubicam (Y&R) Brands, a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, and digital and social media, etc. A trailblazer, Ms. Fudge was the first African American to lead a major advertising firm. She led the global company, then worth $3.4 billion, from 2003-2006.

Before coming to Y&R, she was President of the $5 billion Beverages, Desserts and Post Division at Kraft Foods.  She managed many familiar brands including Maxwell House Coffee, Kool Aid, and Crystal Light.  Ms. Fudge also spent several years at General Mills where she started as a Marketing Assistant and rose to Marketing Director.

Currently, Ms. Fudge serves on the Board of several companies and organizations including General Electric, Novartis, Unilever, Morehouse College, Rockfeller Foundation and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. A philanthropist focused on education, she also serves as chair of the U.S. Programs Advisory Board of the Gates Foundation. She graduated with a B.A. from Simmons College and a M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business. She and her husband, Rich, are the proud parents of two sons and five grandchildren.

In this brief video, she gives advice to women who are leading in today's business environment. "Be authentic" is one of Ann Fudge's core messages. In fact, she directs her advice to both men and women. To view this video, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays and our recent features please visit our website, womenatliberty.com.
 

Leadership Tuesdays: Leadership By Example...Albert Schweitzer

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. 

--Albert Schweitzer

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. In this final segment of a four part series, Nona Ogunsula (Founder of WOMENATLIBERTY.com/FOR THIS CAUSE, Inc.) and Michelle D. Freeman conclude their leadership conversation by discussing what characteristics are important to her when she looks to hire employees or to seek business partners. Ms. Freeman also talks about why Covenant House of Washington, D.C.'s Executive Sleep Out Charity Event is close to her heart and why she chose to sleep outside on a cold November night in solidarity with homeless teens. 

Ms. Freeman is the CEO of the Carl M. Freeman Companies, a real-estate development company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.  She is also  a minority partner in Monumental Sports and Entertainment which owns the WNBA Mystics, NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals as well as the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. She sits on the Board of Directors of several Washington, D.C. area non-profit organizations. Most important to her, Michelle is the proud mother of three children. 

To view today's video click here.  If you missed any or all of the first three parts of this series where Michelle talked about finding renewed life and purpose after experiencing a tragic loss and her leadership style, click here. To view some of her inspiring quotes from this video series, use the "Blog Archive" menu on the right of this page and go to December 24, 2013, January 7, 2014, January 21, 2014, and January 28, 2014. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, please visit our website, womenatliberty.com.