I love to see female colleagues succeed in life, especially
when they are smart, focused and deeply committed to their work.
This week, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to two of them,
both of whom I’ve known professionally for more than a decade.
The first woman is someone I hired in the late 90s to
support a piece of business I was managing.
She joined our firm, took off like a rocket, and never stopped. She’s succeeded, in part, because she does
something exceptionally well that most folks in positions of authority don’t do
enough of today: She listens to people
before she acts, aggregating different points of view so that she can navigate
a team toward a consensus that produces results. Like a talented retail politician, she’s got
empathy to spare and actually enjoys being with others. Her reward? She’s just been named Chief Communications
Officer for one of our country’s most storied and successful companies. Congratulations, my friend!
The second female colleague is a client of mine. After
nearly 2 decades with her company, she’s decided to take all she has learned
and reframe her career by becoming a consultant. She’ll be a damn fine one, too, because like
my other friend, she is an active listener and aggregator of information,
opinions, and different perspectives.
And she’s not afraid to make a decision based on what she learns. Best of luck in your new career – you won’t
regret it!
So here are my takeaways.
·
Listeners are not afraid of risk but weigh
costs, benefits, people and politics before they act.
·
Listeners are more effective leaders when their
decisions marry the head and the heart.
·
Leaders tend to be exceptional – and deeply
respectful -- listeners.
This leads me to our political leaders – who, frankly,
aren’t. I live in the Beltway “bubble,”
and have been a political junkie my entire life. From the chaos of the 60s to the economic
upheaval of the past 5 years, I’ve always believed that our country has been
blessed with leaders who actually try to lead because they embrace governance
as a good, not an evil.
I don’t think so today, sadly. Look at the state of our national politics –
whether it’s the “nuclear option” bluster surrounding presidential appointees in
the U.S. Senate or the utterly ungovernable and mean-spirited House of
Representatives. Instead of
statesmanship, we get gamesmanship; instead of compromise, we get “my way or
the highway” defiance and disrespect.
The results? To name just a few (because it’s a very long
list): Our economy’s recovery is being
adversely affected because of constant squabbles over the debt ceiling, or deficits
or tax policy; the “safety net” for the poor is being shredded (say goodbye to
food stamps for families with children?); the NRA calls the shots when it comes
to guns in our homes, on our streets and in our school houses; and basic civil rights are being undermined or
disregarded through the systematic dismantling of voter rights and women’s
rights.
Success in life, work and yes, even in our democracy, comes only
when our heads and our hearts are open to the realities, perspectives, needs
and challenges of others. My two female
colleagues know this in their bones, and they will succeed wherever they go,
whatever they do.
As for our country, it will take more than a few good men…and
women…to turn things around. Sadly, we
may have to wait until 2014’s new congress, or 2016’s presidential election for
that to happen given the poisonous political climate in Washington.
Hillary? Chris Christie? I hope you’re both listening.
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