Determination, Leadership, And Fearlessness: The Lesson Of Harriet Tubman

In the annals of women who have had a major impact on the world, not many can match the achievements of Harriet Tubman. Born a slave in Maryland in 1822, she was multitasking before the term was invented. She was an abolitionist, a spy for the U.S. Army during the Civil war, and most famously the driving force behind the Underground Railroad, which rescued slaves and brought them to freedom in the northern states. She worked with John Brown to plan his raid on Harpers Ferry, and was an early and vocal supporter of women’s suffrage.

Though Harriet Tubman is in the history books and will always be remembered for the courageousness of her exploits and her unwavering zeal for change, she’s finally getting the kind of recognition she and other women who have played outsized roles in history deserve: she’ll be represented on the nation’s currency. President Andrew Jackson will disappear from the face of the $20 bill, and Tubman will take his place. 

It’s about time. 

Harriet Tubman fought against staggering odds to improve the lives of others and effect change. While women today, at least in Western society, don’t face ordeals of the kind she grappled with, they still encounter hurdles in the struggle for gender equality. Granted, women have made strides. There were no women chief executives in the FORTUNE 500 when the list first appeared in 1955. Today there are 22. That’s progress, but by no means enough, especially when data show that companies with a greater number of women in leadership positions outperform their peers. 

Even if our struggles are different from theirs, we can learn something about determination and focus from heroes such as Harriet Tubman. I’ve often touted that in today’s business world, women must not be afraid to take on challenges, even ones that at first glance seem too daunting. They must not feel as if they don’t belong at the table with men, even when they’ve earned their seat—there’s no more room for “imposter syndrome” in today’s world. And they need to get past the fear of asking for more responsibility, more acceptance of their ideas, and equal compensation. Assertiveness is applauded when men are involved, but women are often told tone it down and keep their ideas to themselves. Or worse, not shoot for the high-level roles men hold. 

Harriet Tubman wouldn’t have listened to such advice. Let’s honor her example by not doing so ourselves.

Debra Walton is the Chief Product and Content Officer at Thomson Reuters. Views expressed are her own.

Follow her on twitter @DebraAWalton