Quietly doing the work of shaping how the world views us.
In my work and my travels, I’ve come across many different women who are all leading from their station in the world. Whether they are a C-Level leader in a major corporation or a small-holder farmer in the middle of a remote Mexican village, women are doing the work that is shaping the future. And they need more allies who are not only in on their secrets, but who support their unspoken mission to continue to build a future where every woman can own her destiny.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico, and meet women farmers working as a collaborative in the impoverished countryside of San Juan Lachoa, a remote area in the mountains of this region. I met women and girls ages 4 – 64 who are changing how an entire culture views the role of women in society. They are income generators, mothers, daughters, and wives and they are very proud to be leaders. These members of “The Flying Women” collaborative, a member of @Heifer Mexico, support their families and communities through farming. And they share a common goal – to build and hold a place for women and their families in their village.
Like many of the women I met in Mexico, leaders across sectors are individually and collectively doing everything they can to preserve and build the place of women in society. Despite strong opposition and alarming backward movement, women are showing up every day in places around the globe to hold our collective stance.
So, what are the top shared bonds of women who are individually playing a major part in the story of women in our time on this planet? Here are my observations:
1) We know our place (no, I’m not talking about the kitchen).
Throughout history, women have led. Some quietly and some boisterously, but all with a deep understanding of what their leadership means. This was never more clear to me than during my time in Mexico when each woman recognized how they were influencing a shift in the dynamics of traditional roles. This can also be seen every day in very commonplace activities at work and at home, in simple things like who cooks dinner and does the grocery shopping. Every change in deeply engrained norms is a subtle realization of our role. Each generation of women in every culture know their place in history and how their actions, small and large, shape the future for those that follow them.
2) We value the power of relationships.
When I first became a mother, so many people told me “it takes a village”. To be honest, I hated that saying. I waited a long time to be a mom and the hell if I was going to let some random group of people play an important role in the life of my daughter. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Just like the Flying Women of Mexico, I needed my village to be the best version of me that I could be and to model for my daughter that good people will be in it with you – whatever it is. When you have others with you, you can go the distance. Women learn quickly that relationships and support are vital to our health, our survival and our trajectory. Pride won’t stop powerful women from doing what needs to be done.
3) We practice holding power, patience and perseverance.
The women I’m most in awe of are practicing and mastering the art of holding their power, being patient and frankly never giving up. The coffee bean farmers I met in Mexico wait four years to be able to harvest a single coffee bean. During that time, they creatively and patiently work to feed their families and grow their networks. Like many of the women I’ve met in my career, they know that their strength will carry them through the hardest times. And that great things don’t just happen or happen overnight. Women who own their power are planning while they are patient. They are working while they discover their power. They learn what’s inside of them and what they can achieve and they go for it. When Sia gives them an anthem, they say “Damn right. I’m unstoppable.”
4) We are all momma bears.
Nothing is more fierce than a mother protecting her cubs. And in leadership, we are all momma bears. We are protecting our assets, our community, our team, our colleagues, our brand, our position, our family and our future. The women I have encountered have learned how to channel their basic momma bear instincts into an enormously powerful tool that serves as an engine for their passion. It doesn’t mean we bare our teeth and snarl in daily interactions. Not all of us, at least. But it does mean women, for the most part, will do whatever it takes to protect their own. Broadly defined that means not only themselves and their own, but the next generation of women.
To all of the strong and wonderful women out there (and the allies that support us), especially to those that are struggling to hold your power, keep on keeping on.
Feel free to comment with your observations of other shared bonds that women hold. Together we are shaping the future.
Happy International Women’s Day!