Women in the LEAD: WOMEN: In the Process of BECOMING

When I was coming up the corporate ladder, there were few women role models. I was one of the first women managers in the U.S. Northwest in IBM and it was lonely. My first leadership assignment was in ALASKA. At the time, it was always a bit of a joke for others to see me as a women manager in such a seemingly distant place. "Oh, is that where they send women?" people would joke. Actually, it was one of the best professional moves I ever made. We were the TOP revenue producing office in the nation, which meant we got lots of visibility from the top. ALASKA was booming, as I blossomed into a leader in my own right in the environment of its success. Living and working there was a tougher existence than I was used to having come from the metropolitan city life of Los Angeles. No family. No lettuce. Lots of snow. My mentors were a bunch of rugged, dedicated, talented "bush pilots" outdoor types. Much of what I learned from them stays with me. I took their subtle suggestions that following their example would be good ---- being tough-minded and all business, including the navy blue suit, white "shirt and tie" that defined business attire at IBM at that time. For my early beginnings, it worked.

Some years later, after I had moved on to assignments with more responsibility, another mentor said to me, "Now that you've established yourself, how about being more like a women in your approach?" His question came with a bit of a sting that I still remember. He also offered ideas for dressing and bringing out the softer side that he felt was much more a natural way, knowing me. His counsel became the catalyst for me discovering a whole new side of myself as a leader. I worked on developing my own style of leadership----learning to not be afraid to project more of the person that lived inside me. In the process, I began to use all the lessons learned in my early years, adding my feminine qualities as key asset. The combination helped me shape a distinctive message and influence in my work. I've always been grateful for the courage it took for him to ask that very personal question. I wonder now if he knew his influence and how grateful I was for his help? Looking back, there were few men in my world bold enough ask any woman such a question.

I ran across a wonderful quote that brought this memory to mind. I thought it might help you think about your own style of beauty as a leader in your own world and how you share it with others. Remembering that leadership is an opportunity that presents itself at home, in our work, in the community or anywhere we have the chance to have an influence or set an example for others.

Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try to give their best qualities to men -- bring them softness, teach them how to cry.

--- JOAN BAEZ

What have you learned in the process of becoming...

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead
www.globaldialoguecenter.com/women
author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership
and High Performance

Twitter @debbekennedy

Comments

Very interesting story Debbe. I really liked your unique view of leadership as a style of beauty! Thanks for sharing with us.

Posted by: Sureddy | February 09, 2010 at 08:09 PM

Dear Sureddy,
I wrote you back the other night, but must not have pushed enter :-) Thank you so much for taking the time to ready my story. It meant a great deal to me to learn what you saw in it. Regards, Debbe

Posted by: debbe kennedy | February 11, 2010 at 01:33 PM