What Stands in the Way of Female Leaders? (Part Three)
I have been musing for two days about what prevents females from leading. While there are many causes, the sad truth is that many women don’t lead because they feel there’s no place for them, even when they have gifts to do so. If you didn’t catch the story, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook has launched a campaign to help girls remove the word “bossy” from their vocabulary so girls don’t confuse it with leadership gifts. Check it out if you haven’t.
Today, I want to share two stories with you of young women who led. Whether you know them or not, each are inspiring pictures of females who lead the way and moved the needle for others.
The Woman Who Opened the Door for Female Athletes
![By Henk Lindeboom / Anefo (Nationaal Archief) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons](https://growingleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/512px-Wilma_Rudolph_1960-208x2781.jpg)
By Henk Lindeboom / Anefo (Nationaal Archief) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The Women Who Pledged to Respect the Marginalized
Elena Delle-Donne wrote: “As a society, we are too often blinded by our differences, failing to see the unique gifts that each and every one of us possess. My sister Lizzie faced many hardships from birth, having been born without sight, without hearing, and with cerebral palsy. At a young age, I learned how to communicate with Lizzie through hand-over-hand sign language, and although we could never interact through sight or hearing, we developed our relationship through touch, smell, and other sensations.
“I had been blessed with gifts that the world recognized: height, agility, coordination and strength. These gifts aided me in becoming a top recruited women’s basketball player and now, an exciting career in the WNBA. Lizzie’s gift to me was opening my heart to embrace our differences and inspiring me to make the world a more inclusive and respectful place. It is because of Lizzie that I am so devoted to ending the use of the “r-word,” a word that engenders divisiveness amongst individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics movement is something I’ve always held close to my heart. For me, it unites my two loves: basketball and the promotion of acceptance, inclusion, dignity and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities.”
What Do They Have in Common?
Both of these females led the way for others. Wilma was a special needs kid who was all about setting the bar for herself, and consequently giving permission for other women to reach new heights. Elena was healthy, yet was all about using her gifts as a platform to promote those with special needs. Both opened the door for and empowered others—especially for females. This is what true leadership is about: using our influence for the benefit of others who have less.
May their tribe increase.
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I have been looking forward to your conclusion to this series and I’ll have to admit that I’m disappointed that you ended it by simply providing two examples of women who overcame adversity. I think that you could have really hit a home run if you expanded on your original theme of “ban bossy” and looked at how women can overcome existing power structures that keep them marginalized.
For example, the amount of business that’s conducted over golf or at “the men’s club” with cigars and scotch is a huge problem. Gen-Y leadership is based on transparency and networking, not “bossing people around”, and when women (yes, women, not “females”) are excluded from business networks, their vision and their voice are effectively silenced. It would be great if you could talk about specific character development issues that women can learn and apply in order to lead in a man’s world, without needing to become men themselves.
Hi Ross, Thank you for your comment. I hope you saw yesterday’s post. I wanted to end the series from the perspective of a wonderful leader, friend, coworker and a woman, Holly Moore – https://growingleaders.com/blog/awkward-authentic-four-ways-men-can-lead-women-well/
Thanks Tim! I appreciate the feedback as well as Holly’s article. It was great to hear her bring attention to the fact that good ideas are not exclusive to gender.