Leadership, Influence, and Modeling
Leadership, influence and modeling can be done at any age.
You might feel like you are looking to others to provide an example for you, but know that there is always someone else who is looking at you. I have mentors at all stages of life (professional peers who share best practices, experts in specific areas who can coach/teach me, and retirement mentors who help me dream). My children are lucky enough to have an army of adults who look out for them and provide examples of what the future can look like (teachers, coaches, and friends). Even my children serve as role models to the younger ones they are around (at school, church, and play).
It’s easy to just keep looking ahead to see where you can go, but taking a moment to look back at where you have come from and how much you have grown will help you understand your important role in developing the future. Without your example, there wouldn’t be a path. If you have ever walked in the woods (as opposed to hiking a trail), then you know how difficult it can be to make progress in deep brush and how easy it is to simply follow the path.
Recently, I had the chance to spend the evening with the Society of Women Engineers on campus at Georgia Tech where I am always impressed with the poise, passion, and professionalism these young women embody. I can’t help but smile as I think about the work I did on campus all those years ago that has made it easier for them and all the women who did it before me that paved the way for my success. This time (and really any time I can make it happen logistically) I took my 9-year old daughter with me. The agenda wasn’t able to maintain her focus for the whole 3 hours we were there (it was a general meeting, dinner, and the weekly exec meeting) but there were lots of times that I saw her put her pencil down and listen as the speaker talked about career development, an attendee raised her hand to ask a question about salary negotiations, or the group of student leaders had a lively conversation about how to deal with conflicts related to campus policies/politics. She was soaking it all in.
At the end of the night, I made a point to thank the students for providing such a great example of what it means to be successful in college. It won’t be the things I tell her about growing up that she will remember when she’s older, it will be moments like these; moments that will be a part of her memory bank even when she can’t remember the names or the faces; moments that are shaping the women she will become.