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| Created by Sarah & Catherine Satrun |
Saturday was International Women's Day. On Sunday, I saw the "We Are All Wonderwomen!" image on faceback and went in search of the original source. Before I continue with what I want to say, I would like to acknowledge the women who created the image and to state that no harm or infringement is intended by sharing it here. Sarah Satrun , a Chicago-based artist, along with her twin sister Catherine created this smash-up parody of the Dove Ad and Wonder Woman. (Note: If you are interested in purchasing this print, the Satrun sisters have an Etsy page with the image available for sale.) Thank you Sarah and Catherine for a great image.
Last Sunday, my Slice touched upon Women's History Month and Women Mentors. Throughout the month, I am going to circle back to this topic. In this year that I am trying to reconnect with meaning and purpose, part of that means trying to figure out who I am as a woman both professionally and personally.
In 2010, Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook presented a TEDTalk on Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders:
In March 2013, her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead came out. Sheryl Sandberg's TEDtalk follow up - So we leaned in...now what?
As I was listening to Sandberg's talks, I was struck by a few things.
First, as women, we need to ask what would we do if we were not afraid? I think there are many times that as women we step back because we are afraid of how others will perceive us and we prevent ourselves from taking chances that would allow us to do or accomplish those things that we desire.
Second, we need to stop underestimating ourselves. I love this section from her talk Why We Have So Few Women Leaders. I think it captures the attitudes of many women in many different situations.
And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves, and women attribute it to other external factors. If you ask men why they did a good job, they'll say, "I'm awesome. Obviously. Why are you even asking?" If you ask women why they did a good job, what they'll say is someone helped them, they got lucky, they worked really hard. Why does this matter? Boy, it matters a lot because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table, and no one gets the promotion if they don't think they deserve their success, or they don't even understand their own success.- Sheryl Sandberg
Finally, we need to ban the word bossy. To quote Sandberg, the next time we hear someone say that a little girl is bossy we need to respond with "That little girl's not bossy. That little girl has executive leadership skills." I am not advocating rudeness or bullying type behaviors by any means whether it be by women or men. However, I have seldom to never heard a man in business or a professional setting be referred to as aggressive. The term used is assertive. A woman does the same thing and she is aggressive. We need to change the lens in which we view behavior and then change our language.
Recognize and celebrate the women around you. They come in all shapes and sizes and different personalities and abilities. They are daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives, mothers, grandmothers, friends, and colleagues. They are incredibly strong, and have an amazing capacity to love and feel. Celebrate that we are all Wonderwomen!
