Women Who Widen the Path

With Women’s History Month underway,? our work to #BreakTheBias continues on. This month, I’ve committed to celebrate the progress that’s been made, and identify opportunities to lean in and do more.? I often talk about women who widened the path for those who come after them. Regardless of background or belief, these are “pioneers” who can recount their experiences of being “the only woman in the room” or “the first” in a certain role - a feeling all too many still experience today.?

There are women who were the “first” like the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice of the Supreme Court; Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as Secretary of State; Condoleezza Rice, the first female National Security Advisor; or Kamala Harris, the first woman to hold the office of the Vice President of the United States. They are also women tackling the biggest issues of our day. Take Linda Thomas Greenfield, the current ambassador to the UN, and the women leading some of the biggest cities in the U.S. - Muriel Bowser of DC, Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, Vi Lyles of Charlotte and Kim Janey of Boston, to name a few.

As public figures and as public servants, these women have acted as pillars of their communities at a local, state and national levels. They are women who didn’t wait to be called upon - they raised their hand, led conversations and delivered for their constituencies in ways big and small. They are women who refused to accept the status quo and remained in relentless pursuit of gains that continue to bring meaningful change. Their bias to action is a learning we can take well beyond government, as the business world takes its fourth stakeholder - society - into account in parallel with its own interests.?

There is much at stake abroad and closer to home, from humanitarian crises to the COVID-19 pandemic to the future economy.? Leaders who punctuate our daily dialogue with compassion, candor and kindness will ultimately help to advance the interests of the many, rather than the few. That’s the type of leadership - across all verticals, sectors and geographies - the world needs now more than ever.