Read Online What Will It Take to Make A Woman President?: Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power by Marianne Schnall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marianne Schnall
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highlighting. How is that connected? Do you think that the more women come into other areas of power and influence in the corporate world and in these other arenas, the more it would enhance the overall acceptance of women leaders?
DB : I do believe that public service is one of the most visible forms of leadership in society, but there’s no question when you look at what happened a few years ago in California, with Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, that was also an important step—you had two women in the corporate world stepping out into the political world. Again, when you look at most of the men who are in office—not to give them the short end of the rope—but men have had success in business and say, “I’ve made a great living and all. Now let’s see what I can do for the country or to make the world a better place.” I think for women in the corporate world, we don’t have that many role models, we don’t have that many mentors. And I think Sheryl Sandberg is fostering this interesting conversation on that, not just about the role of ambition, but also about mentoring and the fact that we cannot just walk in the door and shut it behind us. . . . We have to find ways to keep the door open for other women to join us in the circle of power.
MS : I interviewed Anna Deavere Smith for another series about leadership, and I remember her really stressing the fact that she thinks it’s not just enough to get the women in the door—women have to reach back and also bring up other women, especially women who are in underserved communities.
DB : That’s an important part. I found that when I was coming up through the political ranks, it wasn’t enough to be the only woman, or sometimes the only minority, in the room; I wanted to make sure that I was not the last. So while I sat at the table, I often told my colleagues, “Look, if there’s no room at the table, we’ll just bring in folding chairs. We’ll make space for women.” The attitude is that we’ve got to start making space for each other. If we don’t, we will never see ourselves as making real progress.
MS : What about this whole likability factor that Sheryl Sandberg talks about in her book, in terms of when you have strong, ambitious women, they’re perceived as “unlikable”? Do you think that’s improving? Because it seems to me that it’s a hard situation for women to be in—that if you’re strong and successful, you’re unlikable.
DB : I used to tell people to embrace the inner bitch, because people will trample on you if you don’t have any self-esteem or self-respect. People will intimidate you if you’re unsure or unsteady, so embrace the inner bitch. You may want to call it the inner goddess, but whatever you call her, we’ve got it and we have it in abundance. My mother always said, “It’s not what they call you; it’s what you answer to.”
MS : You have such a strong sense of self and such confidence. What gives you your drive and inner strength?
DB : First of all, I had a mother and grandparents who were simply phenomenal. They were women who just seized every opportunity. And I come from a working-class background, really poverty, and my parents were my motivation, especially my mom. I saw how she worked, and she didn’t distinguish between the boys and the girls; there were nine of us, and she made us all do the same things. She made us speak up. She made us toughen up. She really gave us all what I would call the key ingredients of leadership, and because of her, I think I was so motivated, as a little girl, to go out there and do my very best.
I knew that as a black woman in the formerly segregated Deep South, I would have to pick my way and find every elevator I could, as well as a ladder, to be able to be successful . . . My grandmother, of course, made it clear to me when we were kids, “Okay, we’re former slaves and that’s it. No more picking cotton. It’s too hard to pick cotton.” And so I grew
DB : I do believe that public service is one of the most visible forms of leadership in society, but there’s no question when you look at what happened a few years ago in California, with Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, that was also an important step—you had two women in the corporate world stepping out into the political world. Again, when you look at most of the men who are in office—not to give them the short end of the rope—but men have had success in business and say, “I’ve made a great living and all. Now let’s see what I can do for the country or to make the world a better place.” I think for women in the corporate world, we don’t have that many role models, we don’t have that many mentors. And I think Sheryl Sandberg is fostering this interesting conversation on that, not just about the role of ambition, but also about mentoring and the fact that we cannot just walk in the door and shut it behind us. . . . We have to find ways to keep the door open for other women to join us in the circle of power.
MS : I interviewed Anna Deavere Smith for another series about leadership, and I remember her really stressing the fact that she thinks it’s not just enough to get the women in the door—women have to reach back and also bring up other women, especially women who are in underserved communities.
DB : That’s an important part. I found that when I was coming up through the political ranks, it wasn’t enough to be the only woman, or sometimes the only minority, in the room; I wanted to make sure that I was not the last. So while I sat at the table, I often told my colleagues, “Look, if there’s no room at the table, we’ll just bring in folding chairs. We’ll make space for women.” The attitude is that we’ve got to start making space for each other. If we don’t, we will never see ourselves as making real progress.
MS : What about this whole likability factor that Sheryl Sandberg talks about in her book, in terms of when you have strong, ambitious women, they’re perceived as “unlikable”? Do you think that’s improving? Because it seems to me that it’s a hard situation for women to be in—that if you’re strong and successful, you’re unlikable.
DB : I used to tell people to embrace the inner bitch, because people will trample on you if you don’t have any self-esteem or self-respect. People will intimidate you if you’re unsure or unsteady, so embrace the inner bitch. You may want to call it the inner goddess, but whatever you call her, we’ve got it and we have it in abundance. My mother always said, “It’s not what they call you; it’s what you answer to.”
MS : You have such a strong sense of self and such confidence. What gives you your drive and inner strength?
DB : First of all, I had a mother and grandparents who were simply phenomenal. They were women who just seized every opportunity. And I come from a working-class background, really poverty, and my parents were my motivation, especially my mom. I saw how she worked, and she didn’t distinguish between the boys and the girls; there were nine of us, and she made us all do the same things. She made us speak up. She made us toughen up. She really gave us all what I would call the key ingredients of leadership, and because of her, I think I was so motivated, as a little girl, to go out there and do my very best.
I knew that as a black woman in the formerly segregated Deep South, I would have to pick my way and find every elevator I could, as well as a ladder, to be able to be successful . . . My grandmother, of course, made it clear to me when we were kids, “Okay, we’re former slaves and that’s it. No more picking cotton. It’s too hard to pick cotton.” And so I grew
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