“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
How many little girls answer, with that wide-eyed, unbridled enthusiasm of youth, “I want to be President!”? Even last week’s episode of the television show Scandal (spoiler alert) depicted fictional First Lady Mellie Grant downing a stiff drink, before nervously uttering the words, “I want to be President. I want to run the world.”
Monday marks President’s Day, a day when we celebrate past and present U.S. Presidents, and yet there are no women among the list of 44 U.S. Presidents. In fact, when you look at women in leadership positions more broadly, you find few role models:
- One hundred and four women (19.4 percent) are members of the U.S. Congress and of that total 33 are women of color.1
- Women hold just 24 percent of all available statewide elective executive offices, and there are only 5 female Governors, down from the record high of 9 in 2004 and 2007.1
- There are 23 women CEOs of S&P 500 companies, and women comprise just 19 percent of board seats at US stock index companies.2
- Forty percent of the coaches of women’s Division I collegiate sports teams are women, marking a steep decline since Title IX was enacted.3
Much has been posited and written about why there are few women in leadership positions, from Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In to Katty Kay and Claire Shipman’s The Confidence Code. As a women leader, I constantly work to challenge my own assumptions and biases about leadership, and I cringe when I hear or see some of the negative stereotypes playing out. Almost a year ago, when the President and CEO position at Washington Area Women’s Foundation opened up, I didn’t hesitate to raise my hand and say that I was ready to lead this amazing organization. And so, you can imagine my surprise, recently, when I found myself hesitating to step up in a completely different way.
At my urging, my 11 year-old daughter decided to sign-up for volleyball. I was thrilled as I had played in high school (state champs 3 out of my 4 years!) and off and on in college, so I have a passion for the game. I quickly registered her for the local youth volleyball league, only to discover that there was a waitlist because there weren’t enough coaches. A little deflated, I told my daughter about the waitlist, but she simply replied, “Well, why don’t you coach, mommy?”
Three days later, I said yes but only after the following occurred:
- I had a running dialogue in my head—“Well, I haven’t played in over twenty years. The game has changed so much; I don’t even know the new scoring system. I’ve never coached before. Do I really have the time? How can I fit this in while also running a nonprofit? What if I have a conflict? Will I be a good coach? What if I let someone down, especially my daughter?”
- I asked some friends—all women—for advice, most of whom said, “Are you crazy? When are you going to find the time?” A few said, “Great, now my daughter can play on your team!,” which only increased my anxiety.
- I emailed the head of the league, inquiring about the resources and support available, expressing my concern about never having coached. He immediately responded and strongly encouraged me to coach, saying many other moms were in a similar position.
- I asked my husband, who without hesitation said, “Of course, you should do it. You’ll be great, and Peanut will love it.”
And there you have it—my case study of one and my “ah-ha” moment! My husband didn’t even think twice about his response to me, and in fact, I realized that two years ago no one asked him to be his daughter’s basketball coach. He simply volunteered without giving it a second thought.
See leadership occurs in both big and small ways. So while you’re enjoying a small reprieve with this three-day weekend to mark President’s Day, please take a moment to consider how you will lead. What’s the big or small thing that you will do differently so that one day no little girl will hesitate to say, “I want to be President and I want to rule the world.”?
1Women in Elective Office Database. (2015). Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Center for American Women in Politics. Retrieved February 13, 2015 from http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/.
2Knowledge Center. (2015). Catalyst. Retrieved February 13, 2015 from http://www.catalyst.org/.
3Progress and Promise, Title IX at 40 White Paper. (2013.) The Women’s Sports Foundation. Retrieved February 13, 2015 from http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/.