The End

In chapter 9, the concept I felt to be the most profound and relevant to my life is that advancing to leadership roles involves taking risks and taking oneself out of one’s comfort zone. I consider myself to be an introverted person, so naturally I like to stay in my comfort zone. This can be a major disadvantage because I won’t be challenged to move to the next level. However, this reading has made become aware of this obstacle, and as much as I don’t want to do anything uncomfortable, I am going to put myself into situations that will give me more experience and help me grow as an individual.

In the Afterword, I thought it was cool that in 1998 those apart of The White House Project predicted that 2008 would be the year that the United States would be accepting to a female president. In retrospect, 10 years isn’t a long time, but it must have seemed like it would take an eternity to get to where we are now in 2008. I think it’s great that there are so many organizations and programs that help women get into political leadership roles in poli. As Wilson mention, hopefully all 50 states will have these programs by or before her next book update.

WACK!

Wuts up group? I really enjoyed the WACK! exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived, but when I realized that we were going to observe art from the feminist revolution I thought that was kind of cool. I don’t know much about feminist, and honestly, before when I hear the word feminist I thought of radical hairy women running around causing chaos for women’s rights. Rationally, I know that this is a misconception I had and I am interested in finding out more about feminist and the feminist revolution.

The piece that stuck with me the most was the Abakan Red by Magdalena Abakanowicz. This piece reminded me of a part of the female genitalia, the hymen which many associate with virginity. I thought this piece was especially interesting because on one side of the massive red cloth was a protruding sharp knife-like object. I interpreted this sharp object as a protector of a women’s virginity, which to some is sacred, and perhaps even as a protector of a female’s innocence. On this note, it could also be an acknowledgement or tribute, if you will, to rape victims that is reclaiming their innocence from men and restoring their sacredness.

Wilson: Chapter 9 and Afterword

I really do think that the ending of the book was the best part of the book in my opinion! Wilson was brilliant in the fact of using numerous quotes that were the answers two her questions. Her questions were “What were your biggest obstacles to attaining leadership, and what helped you most to overcome them?” The other question was “If you could give leadership advice to the generation that will ultimately replace you, what would it be?” Out of the all of the quotes that were presented; there were two that were my FAVORITE quotes.

“Women’s leadership means doing what needs to be done without waiting to ask for permission.” – Diane Rosenfeld
Law Professor at Harvard University

I loved this quote because it is brief but has a powerful message! I took from the quote that a woman has to do what needs to be done in order to develop power or a voice. It also insinuates that women should not settle and wait for someone to give them the chance. In the movie Iron Jawed Angels, President Wilson told the suffragists repeatedly to be patient that their time will come. It never came until they took action on the situation and got their voices heard. Never be complacent about a situation until it suits the needs of yours and the greater good.

Never “know your place.” Never “shrink to fit.”
– Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and CEO, Oxygen Media

I like this quote because it shows that no one knows how far he or she can go in life. One should never get to a certain place in their life and believe that is as far as one is going to get. Exceed your expectations and try to go to limit. It also states to “Never “shrink to fit”; meaning never let anyone tell you how far you can go in life. Nobody knows “you” as much as yourself, so never limit yourself to someone’s expectations. If you do then you are succumbing to the person who is trying to hinder you from succeeding in life. So go the extra step! No, don’t go the extra step lets make it an extra mile!

Mary Jo Larson (Speaker)

Yes, I do agree with you Lisa that Mrs. Mary Jo Larson was such an amazing speaker. I thought that she was genius for approaching her topic by saying “Women tend to stray away from “power.”” It was shocking to hear her say such a thing but in reality, it is true. No one has ever gotten to the “top” of the economic ladder by not exhibiting some type of power. We as women need to discontinue the thought that aggression equals masculinity and the fact that society will categorize us as being evil. Showing aggression to accomplish a goal or task is not being seen as psycho but more as ambitious. When Mrs. Larson asked all of us to write down who we admired or who we thought were considered role models, I thought of two people. These two people are Oprah and my basketball coach in high school Coach Vicky Hayes. I said that these women are of course “powerful” but also “strong,” “understanding” and “emotionally involved.” Seeing these characteristics in them has inspired me to become the same way. I want to make a difference to someone’s life as they have done to mine. That is why I agree with you Lisa when you said, “leaders are never born but rather made.” Everyone learns by observing what someone else has done. One improves by taking the characteristics that they admire from someone else and upgrade those traits to better suit their needs. I hope that I will take some of the characteristics that my coach possesses and use them to help me succeed in the future as well.

Ch 9 and the Aftterword

Well as I came to the end of the book I was sad to see it ending but I also felt extremely empowered. My favorite part of the entire book were the quotes she collected about the biggest obstacle these women leaders had faced and what advice they have for other women leaders. I highlighted a couple of the quotes that grabbed my attention. The first one that I read that really hit me was

"A true leader is one who leads with enthusiasm, courage, and faith. Integrity is key. We need people who lead from not only their heads but from their hearts." Helene Lerner

I think that quote is very powerful because as discussed about earlier in the book woman often feel that they have to compensate and try to be less emotional in order to be looked at as a leader. I completely disagree. If you learn how to lead both with your heart and mind you are a much better leader because you are considering all parts of a situation.

My other favorite quote from the chapter was "Don't ever agree to take on a leadership role for the money, power, title, or prestige; take on the role because you have a passion for the cause". Colleen Barrett

I especially liked this quote because I feel like it is difficult to not ger caught up in the superficial things but the truth is unless you care about the cause you work for then you will not be happy for very long. As money, power, and prestige all fade when you look back on your life you will not be fulfilled unless you helped someone or changed something for the better. This quote is a great reminder for both women and men about what really matters.

What were some of everyone else's favorite quotes? How did you feel at the closing of the book? Lisa

Mary Jo Larson

Hi everyone,

I guess I wanted to take a little time to talk about the discussion we had with Mary Jo Larson. I thought she was an incredible example of a woman leader. Her ability to not be afraid to jump head first was inspiring because for me I am trying to map my future out but she helped me to realize how limiting that can be. She helped me to realize how important it is to never settle without considering all of your options. The activity we did in class was very helpful for me because I feel like I know who I am but it was interesting to evaluate how I got to the place I am and what effected me. My concentration is in leadership development so I am very interested to learn about how a leader is made and what things affect their leadership development. I am a firm believer that a leader is never born but rather made. What do you all think? Some of the people who have encouraged me to believe in myself were my family members. My parents always made me feel intelligent which made me believe I was smart. Having the confidence in myself really helped me have the courage to take on new experiences. Who were some of your supporters and what did they do for you to prepare you for your self leadership? Some of the values I cared about during the activity include balance, passion, hardwork, caring, ambitious, pioneer, innovation, and not be afraid to go against the grain. What values did you write down as important and who in your life if anyone inspired you to value those things? Ok hopefully this will get a convedrsation going... hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Chapters 6, 7, and 8

I agree with everyone about the chapter Authenticity. Wilson makes plenty of great points that portray how women conform to the “men” to become successful. Men have to get with the program while women change themselves; and that is exactly how I feel at work (Wilson 98). At work, I tend to be more timid and get emotionally involved when someone has a problem that is clearly out of my control. I had a meeting with my boss who instructed me that I needed to be more confident and seem more secure with my answers before I can work independently. I am timid when I give answers or instructions to people because I want to be sure that I am not hurting there feelings or that the information that I am giving them is correct. Now I feel as if I have to lose some of myself to conform to the “male role.” Wilson discusses this situation because she said that “women expand the definitions of authority, ambition, and ability, they begin to bridge disconnect between “leader” and “woman” (Wilson 99). I feel that I need to be more aggressive in work but not lose sight of whom I am and what I stand for. “We can be valued for the original we are, rather that the man we sometimes try to be” (Wilson 99). We, as women need to strive for excellence within ourselves and not the opposite sex. We need to continue being the strong women that we are meant to be. Without losing whom we actually are in that process.
I also thought that it is intriguing how the media influences the public. On the show 24, there used to be an African American playing the role of the President. The actor said that it feels great when people would approach him on the street and say “hi, Mr. President”. It is a coincidence that now we are actually having minorities that have a prominent chance in becoming the next leader of our Nation. People are more accepted to these candidates running for office because the media has provided a leeway for it to be accepted. Another example of how media influences that public is how Gloria Steinem turned fifty, and people talked about how great she looked. She received such a mass amount of praise that she decided that it would not be a bad idea to make a shirt that says, “This is what fifty looks like” (Wilson 136). If millions of women get motivated and show activism towards the equality issues that we face now we might be able to move up in society. What degree will it take for every woman, rich or poor to take a stand for an issue that is not being “pushed”? There is a problem and we can force it to be noticed if we get it out to the public. People notice things if it is in their presence; as women just need to push harder to be noticed because we cannot always rely on the media to do it for us.

The Buisness of Transformation

In this chapter I thought about how difficult it is to change a societal norm but just how important it is that we change it. The quote that said "...and that how change begins...- a little bit business, a little bit personal. That sentence struck me because it is so true how in order to inspire change in people you have to convince both their logical and moral beliefs. Over the last few years I have learned the lesson of how ineffective coercion is when trying to prove a point, especially when trying to change someones beliefs about women and leadership. When I read about the No Glass Ceiling task force it made me proud of some of the progress women have made in the workforce but it also paralyzed me because as a senior I am having a lot of anxiety about moving into the workforce and trying to balance grad school and work and eventually a family. I know that now it is more possible to balance all of those things but most work environments are still not equipped to help women interested in a career and a family life on top of school. I thought Susan Toscani brought up a good point about the identity women have to balance if they want to be in more then one role. I really hope that I do not have to choose which role I want to be in. I enjoy reading this book but it definitely stirs up the way I feel about women in our current society and how this is going to effect me for the rest of my life. See you in class!

Chapter 7 culture

I started thinking about how powerful culture is and how the media has the potential to sway the way we completely view leadership. For some reason while I was reading about the President barbie doll I found myself more upset then content with their efforts. why did it take this long to have one female gendered toy represent a woman with leadership. For hundreds of years boys have had soldiers and GI Jo to represent leadership and heroism. Like we talked about in class traditionally girl toys have always been portrayed as house wives with all kinds of exciting appliances etc. I have to run but I will finish this thought later!

Authenticity and Culture

In response to your post, I also found the "Authenticity" chapter very interesting. While reading, I also highlighted the quote on page 98 about how women lose their qualities to "blend in with the boys". Because women are not seen as leaders, and the fact that word "leader" is gendered masculine (99) women are not receiving the credit they deserve and are criticized for trying to be like men.

I was a little upset with the section about Take Your Daughter to Work Day. When I was a little girl I used to go to work with my dad at the news station and I was always put on the air as a specimen of this special day. Over the years they ended up changing it to Take Your Child to Work Day, and I was really jealous. Why should the boys get to go to work too? Shouldn't this be OUR time to experience what our mothers and fathers do on the job? This should be a day for girls to go out into the work force and see what it is like. I do understand why boys should be allowed too - after all it is a day off from school! But I still think it should have remained Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

In the "Culture" chapter, I absolutely loved the idea of President Barbie and her Barbie White House! What an awesome way to express to young girls that they too can become the President of the United States someday.

Authenticity

Hello group,

I think Wilson makes an interesting point in chapter 6, “Authenticity,” when she explains the differences between the reasons why men and women leaders sometimes change their agendas. When men shift agendas they conform to the expectations of other male leaders (98), so the “maleness” of the agenda and atmosphere are preserved. On the other hand, when women shift agendas they do it to “blend in with the boys,” therefore, sacrificing their female qualities. This point really puts this chapter into perspective because one has to be true to onesself in order to project authenticity. It makes me wonder how different the world would be if all the women leaders in the past and present would have never had to face this obstacle. By increasing awareness and gaining support, a more accepting platform will open up for women leaders to project their authenticity in the future – especially with the increasing recognition that women hold qualities and traits that are ideal for leadership.

Another interesting point in this chapter, that I never considered, is that when girls become adolescence they begin to comprehend the lack of leadership of women in the world. Because of this, young adult females use the “quest of perfection” as a way to gain acceptance from authority figures, who are mostly men. This can then translate into creating unhealthy relationships with men in the future.

Women and Leadership Group 2 Contract

Interaction:

• Positive interaction shall be reached by responsible, respectful behavior

• Negative interaction shall be avoided by demonstrating common human courtesy and respect for others. Also, by completing assignments on time and to the best our ability.

• Each group member will blog at least once a week towards the beginning of the week (by Monday or Tuesday) in order to create a strong conversation and dialogue about the class readings, discussion, and activities.

Projects:

• Project work will be broken up fairly based upon personal preference, strengths, and necessity

Conflict Resolution:

• Emergency meetings will be scheduled as needed to deal with group conflicts

• During the meetings we agree to maintain composure, an open attitude, and humane communication

As a group we are committed to working to our highest potential together throughout the class. We will maintain open communication and honest feedback for our fellow group members, as well as respect and understanding of one another’s personal opinions. We agree to take responsibility for our own actions and our contributions to the group. Most importantly we are committed to making this a fun, positive, and productive learning experience.

Women in power...

Last night I decided to watch the news. While watching the news (Fox 5) the media was talking about women in power, particulary African American women. Do not qoute me on this, but If I am not mistaken it was said that out of 47 states there are seven women mayors who are black. Seven, I am not sure how many women that may be of another race or ethnicity, but I thought that was a very small number. Fox 5 was talking about the African American women who are in power in Baltimore, Maryland and they ended up interviewing a number of people and asked them about what were their thoughts about women in power. I think all of the comments were positive comments. Most of the people acknowledge that women are smart and are capable of being in control. It was also said that woman have come a long way and are making statements and big moves day in and day out. Personally, I agreed with everything that was said about the women who are in power. When I was reading the chapter two I thought it was interesting that "seventy-nine percent of Americans are ready for a woman president." What about the other twenty-one percent? Why isn't all of America ready for a woman president? With the diverse population that the U.S. has as of now I would think that people would grow out of the traditional males ruling everything attitude, but I guess that the naive and conservative politicians are not ready for that yet. What harm will it do if we have a woman president? I mean if a woman can be in charge of a household, company, or etc. what makes it any different then running a country? That is only if she is a capable candidate. The meadia influences others decisions and I think it puts a prejudice on people who follows it.

Chapters 1-5

I agree with what everyone is saying about how the media picks at women politicians and portrays women in general. But another issue that really aggravated me while reading this was seeing how much effort women are having to put forth for something where men are not putting any.



"Through exercises we would explore a wide range of company policies. Men always spoke authoritatively about these policies, but later, when the women asked the men how they knew so much verbatim, the men admitted they had been winging it with their answers; the women never did that, and only spoke when they had all the facts. As explanation, the men simply said they knew they could correct their responses later if need be. The women felt they would never get a second change if they misspoke." (Wilson 41)



I find that excerpt upsetting because it really shows how women are not taken as seriously as men are. On page 49 there is a list of things women should abide by to be respected, while men don't have to do shit (pardon my French). Although the list seems to be successful, it should not have to be that way!



Monday night, I attended at "Careers in Event Planning" seminar held by the Women's Center in McLean. My mom (a member of the Women's Center) suggested that I attend considering I just changed my major to Tourism and Event Management. Not knowing what to expect, I found a panel of three women sitting at the front of this classroom speaking about their jobs and how they started this event planning company called The Webster Group.



Their presentation was not only focusing on the event planning part, but a lot on their accomplishments as women leaders. One thing that stood out to me that they touched on was the fact that women in the work force compete against each other while men support each other. And while this may not be the situation is all cases, it is very common. I found this interesting and I read at the end of Chapter 4, "If we hold one another back instead of pushing one another forward, we will most certainly stay stuck." (Wilson 72) Although that was just one of the conclusive quotes for the chapter, I found a lot of "Ambition" inspiring.



After watching "Iron Jawed Angels" in class the other day we were asked to reflect on the movie. One student expressed how she did not realize, or rather took for granted just how hard it was for women to gain the right to vote. Also in the "Ambition" chapter, I highlighted a quote from Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's book, "The Majesty of Law," that stated, "Young women today have no concept about how hard it was for women to get the vote (in 1920) and how my generation couldn't get jobs. They just think, 'Oh, that was the Dark Ages...'" (Wilson 69) This immediately reminded me of the movie as did the rest of the "Acting 'As If'" section.



I sat down and read all 5 chapters in a row one evening because I found this book so compelling and I did not want to put it down! It's amazing how far women have come, but we still have so much farther to go!

The Media's Role

I found Chapters 2 and 3 to be the most insightful chapters. Before reading these chapters, I did not really paid attention to role of the media and the influence it has on portraying a leader. It is disappointing that the media can be so critical of women’s appearances, and so influential on society’s perception of a leader. Because of this, many qualified women have missed opportunities of gaining positions of power. However, it is encouraging to know that this barrier is getting recognition, so that we can take the steps of redefining the image of a leader. Hopefully these high profile news shows will take some of these studies into consideration and start giving more women airtime so that women can get the same exposure as their male counterparts.

tonight on television- Woman in a leadership position

Tonight I sat down to watch an episode of scrubs not expecting what we are reading about in class to be demonstrated in front of my eyes. On the show scrubs there is a woman doctor named Elliot. First I think it is not coincidental that her name is traditionally a males name. On the show she runs around the hospital flustered with low cut shirts on. She is overly attractive and the show is constantly portraying her as a dumb skinny blonde whose emotions are unruly. I think this is a good example of how the media chooses to portray a female physician in a comedic, unprofessional light. Many people may say this is just comedy and nothing serious but then why in the show do they not portray any other female physicians? Why are women constantly shown as lacking ability and motivation? Just a thought..what do you all think?>

Closing the Leadership Gap Chapters 1-5

Many women are CEO’s and Executives that operate popular television stations and computer companies. However, plenty is equivalent to a few when being compared to all of the men that hold prominent jobs in the same field and even the government. Women have been trying to break the “glass ceiling” and emerge as an equal in the workforce. Marie C. Wilson gives a vast array of statistics regarding how women are slowly rising in the corporate world. Unfortunately, women tend to lead as “men” in order to hold a position as a woman.
Women are “better communicators and listeners, more nurturing, more willing to involve others in decision making, and more likely to roll up there sleeves and work as a team” (Wilson 9). These qualities are impeccable and tend to help govern things nicely. Unfortunately, it is not enough. The stereotypes that are held within genders hinder the way equality can be distributed among them. All over the media and in entertainment there are women who are seen as great leaders but because they fit the “aggressive male” persona. Women do not meet the characteristics of the “traditional male leader” and when something is not in the “norm” people tend to get nervous. However, women have to act irrational in order to gain respect. Movies such as Norma Rae and Erin Brockovich were movies that contained strong, sensitive, hard-working women that gained respect from their emotional drive for the greater good. Now movies such as Laura Croft Tomb raider and Alias portray women as being “male warriors” (Wilson 28). This is because the majority of people vision successful leadership in a masculine point-of-view.
Wilson promotes women to be ambitious, courageous in there attempt in gaining a much greater voice in the country. She talks about ambition and ability in chapters 5and 6 and how women should take the extra step to be noticed. Wilson uses Hillary Clinton as an example of being a courageous woman. Before she began her journey to the White House as a candidate, she was first at the White House as a wife. When former president Bill Clinton put her head of a committee for the nation’s health care, the project failed. It did not fail because of her qualities, it fell because of the complexity of the project and the stigma that men place on women in power (Wilson 57). Hillary was scrutinized for trying to be in politics when the First Lady is supposed to stray away from political affairs. Even though criticism can hurt, she did not let it break her. She had an ambition and that ambition took her from being the First Lady to becoming a Senator and a prominent candidate for being President of the United States.
Women are great leaders; we forget to notice that the “skills of mothering translate to leadership” (Wilson 75). There was a study done at Wellesley College that “identified a framework for understanding the roots and practices of leadership through mothering.” (Wilson 75). Mothering is a skill that is not usually taught but instilled in us. If women can automatically mother, then why cannot we lead a Fortune 500 company or the country? Wilson said that “If women can manage a group of children, they can manage a group of bureaucrats” (9). So why walk away from the opportunity to have a bigger voice in the world.
After reading these five chapters, I realized that yes; I do have to work a little harder for the job, for money and for respect. However, I know that it is not impossible for me to have it if I wanted it. I am going to accomplish the goals that I have set in my mind. This reading has empowered me to work hard because it shows that we all have the ability to lead; the obstacle is showing this to everyone else who does not believe.

Chapter 2 and 3

After reading chapter two and three I felt a sense of disappointment in our media and the negative effects they have on how the world views women and power. It sickened me to read the nit-picky detail that the journalists pick our about a woman politicians appearance rather then her opinion on an issue. One part of these two chapters that I couldn't believe we the letters between Abigail Adams and her son. It was heartbreaking to me to see a son speak to his own mother in that way and view her in such a negative light. It is clear that the reason why women can not move up in the world is the mindset that many people have about women and leadership and what a leader is suppose to look like. This should get our discussions started!

This is Group 2 of Women and Leaderships blog! Welcome!

Our Group members are Lisa, Laura, C'Vette, and Courtney