Thursday's Thought: 6.30.11

“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.”

-- Lady Gaga

What are your thoughts?

I Can.

"I can" is contagious. Watch Kiran Bir Sethi's TED Talk on empowering children to take charge. How will you encourage a young girl to believe she can?

Lead Anyway.

As my beloved Carolina Gamecocks baseball team went into extra innings late last night in the College World Series Finals, the ESPN announcers began talking about the adversity the Gamecocks had faced during the season. Each game, Coach Ray Tanner told his team, "Win anyway."

There's bad weather. Win anyway.

Our best player is hurt. Win anyway.

They are better than us. Win anyway.

No excuses; win anyway.

While winning isn't everything, the same concept applies to leadership. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why now isn't the right time to take on a leadership role. I'm too busy. I'm tired. She doesn't like me. He doesn't take me seriously.

Lead anyway.

Too often we let our excuses stand in the way of letting us really shine. It is easier to shift the responsibility to someone or something else, instead of claiming ownership on our actions and being true to ourselves.

When doubt creeps in, lead anyway. When you think you can't, lead anyway. When times get tough or the pitches don't go your way, step up to the plate and lead anyway.

How to Talk to Girls.

Have you ever caught yourself talking to a cute/darling/adorable little girl and the first thing out of your mouth is a comment of how cute/darling/adorable they are? I know I am guilty of this and I'm sure you are too. And last week, Lisa Bloom, author of Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, called us out on it.

Bloom offers her suggestions on how to speak to girls:

Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You are just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.

Read the rest of her article here.

The Vital Voices ANNpower Initiative.

ANN, INC., the parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices have joined forces to create an initiative to provide leadership training to girls. The Vital Voices ANNpower Initiative will provide funding to help girls develop projects at for their schools or communities that advance women and girls. The application (here) deadlines on Thursday, July 7th at 5:00 PM. As an added bonus, the first 50 qualified applicants will receive a $50 LOFT gift card! So start thinking about how you will change your world and apply!

True Leadership.

Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the Young African Women Leaders Forum in South Africa. Her words inspire young girls all over the world. No matter how old you are, or where you live, or what you ate for breakfast, you too can be a leader. Are you up to the challenge?

"I want to pause for a moment on that word - leadership - because I know that so often, when we think about what that word means, what it means to be a leader, we think of presidents and prime ministers. We think of people who pass laws or command armies, run big businesses, people with fancy titles, big salaries.

And most young people don't fit that image. And I know that often when you try to make your voices heard, sometimes people don't always listen. I know there are those who discount your, opinions, who tell you you're not ready who say that you should sit back and wait your turn.

But I am here today because when it comes to the challenges we face, we simply don't have time to sit back and wait.

I'm here because I believe that each of you is ready, right here and right now, to start meeting these challenges.

And I am here because I know that true leadership - leadership that lifts families, leadership that sustains communities and transform nations - that kind of leadership rarely starts in palaces or parliaments.

That kind of leadership is not limited only to those of a certain age or status. And that kind of leadership is not just about dramatic events that change the course of history in an instant.

Instead, true leadership often happens with the smallest acts, in the most unexpected places, by the most unlikely individuals."

Read more of the First Lady's remarks here.

Sunday Inspiration: 6.26.11

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

--Maya Angelou

The Beginning.

When I was young, I was determined to matter. I wanted to be important, to be famous, to be rich. As I grew up, I began to learn that it made no difference if I mattered. Finding out what mattered, however, did make a difference.

How you treat people matters. If you are happy matters. If you love, share, hope, believe...it matters. It matters if you are passionate. For me, that is what matters.

So, why The Girls Leadership Project? Because I am passionate about women and leadership. And with the development of their leadership skills, girl leaders become women leaders. And the world could use (a lot) more women leaders.

I have found my passion and I want to share it with you. The Girls Leadership Project is about giving young girls the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and find out what matters to them. And if I'm lucky, some girl will find what she's passionate about. This is just the beginning!