I pulled out all my favorite books on leadership in the process of co-authoring the new What Do You Mean I’m in Charge? Leadership Skills for Teens. Setting a good example, I checked over the last ten years of best sellers and the books being ordered by professors in graduate schools of leadership. It wasn’t until this week that I noticed not one of them was authored by a woman (although Alice McKee co-authored Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence with Daniel Goleman and Richard E. Boyatzis).
That sent me on another search. I looked for the material written by some of the strongest women political leaders of the past century (Hilary Clinton, Benazir Bhutto, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diane, Mary Robinson). I also surveyed some of the writings of Coco Chanel, Katherine Hepburn, Mother Teresa, and Oprah Winfrey. While I can find biographies and autobiographies, I cannot find the type of prescription for leadership that Giuliani, Covey, Carnegie, or Bennis have penned.
A 2010 report was published by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), commissioned by the National Science Foundation, cast light on women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Why So Few? presents the puzzle that while girls are roughly equal in achievement through elementary and middle school, boys go on to enroll in more advanced high school STEM classes and outnumber women in nearly every science and engineering field. The report presents eight research findings. I’d like to focus on two in this blog, stereotype and bias, as I believe they also pertain to our young girls seeing themselves (and being seen) as leaders.
I have seen stereotypes first hand. When my son was accelerated in math in his fourth grade brick and mortar school, he was accelerated with another boy. Yet prior to the decision, my son repeatedly spoke about how one of the girls in class kept outscoring him in all the tests and assignments. She was not invited to accelerate. Her mother was never told it was an option. I cannot say for sure why the decisions fell where they did, but is it possible that stereotype was a part? The boys, when asked by me why she wasn’t accelerated, were actually taken aback with the thought, it had never occurred to them. The question itself acted like the proverbial light bulb as they wondered aloud why the question had never occurred to them.
Implicit biases are part of our human condition. Malcolm Gladwell’s fantastic book Blink looks at rapid cognition, the two seconds your mind takes to jump to a series of conclusions. While the instant conclusions can sometimes be very good, often they can deprive a girl an opportunity at leadership or a STEM career. It is eye opening to take Harvard test on implicit biases. I find myself comparing how I complement the girls on the robotics team I coach to what I say to the boys. Do I hold them to the same high standards? Do I act more surprised at their insights? Do I remember to encourage them to pursue higher math and science? Do I see them as leaders and invite them to opportunities where they can develop leadership skills? I hope so.
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwideby Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is a passionate call to emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women’s power as economic catalysts. It is a process that transforms bubbly teenage girls from brothel slaves into successful businesswomen. When you look up from this book your perception of the world has changed. I found myself not only committed to the Half the Sky movement, but also looking more closely in the eyes of women (even my own) and recognizing great leaders able to build a more just and beautiful world. Girls and women can, indeed, rise to the challenge!
This week’s hero: We lost Wagarii Maathai this week. She was a truly incredible woman leader who inspired me. Her voice will be missed. May her vision continue. If you have never heard this courageous woman’s story, watch the film Taking Root and explore her Nobel Prize winning Green Belt Movement.
This week’s question: What women can you think of that are great leaders?
This week’s free resources: Wangari Maathai & The Green Belt Movement
