Women in Leadership Portfolio

Valerie Solanas is famous for shooting Andy Warhol.  No, I do not support violence.  But I think Solanas has some power behind her statements in the S.C.U.M. Manifesto.  Though she does condone violence, proposing a “gendercide” [1] of males, I think her radical statements serve great purpose.  Essentially, Solanas’s call is for a reversal of what’s been done to women (objectification, victimization) by asking women to do just those things to men.  And while it may not be viewed as the most effective way of undoing the damage done by men in control, a part of me believes that it is the most drastic and possibly most lasting way for the ground between men and women to become level.

It takes great strength to stand up and write something like the S.C.U.M. Manifesto because of its radical statements.  And Solanas was certainly unapologetic, something more women need to learn to be when talking about undoing misogyny.

Valerie Solanas

[2]

Marian Wright Edelman has been an inspiration since I saw her at my friends’ commencement address at Colgate University in 2005.  Honestly, I did not know who she was before that.  But her charge to the graduates left me feeling empowered, like I had to do work like Ms. Edelman.  She has worked selflessly, advocating for those whose voices are often overheard, like children from underrepresented backgrounds.

As the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Ms. Edelman puts the needs of children as a top priority for our country if we are to see equity and progress in the future.  She, to me, is a quiet warrior with a bleeding heart that will not take no as an answer. [3]

Ms. Edelman

Women leaders visited this class, comprising most of the discussion for the term.  Each one of them brought a unique perspective to the class and held different positions of leadership on campus and in Oregon.

Mamta: Mamta Accapadi is the Dean of Students here at Oregon State University.  She used her hairstyle as an extended metaphor for her journey as a leader in higher education.  She talked about how she felt she had to hide aspects of herself to forge her way into positions of power in higher education in a way that she would not have to do if she were male or if she were White.

Kathleen: Kathleen Moore is an author and professor at Oregon State University.  She spoke about a philosophy of hope and “doing what’s right,” stating that those two perspectives are not subjective.  Though Ms. Moore’s writing was beautiful, it was hard to understand her leadership philosophy; what is right differs for each person–it is very subjective.

Juana: Juana Bordas is the author of Salsa, Soul, and Spirit, a book on multicultural leadership and the transformation of leadership into a collective process.  She presented the idea of sankofa, working together for the greater good of a people.  Her approach to leadership needs to be embraced by the corporate world to see more equity in this world.

Luanne: Luanne Lawrence is the VP of Advancement at OSU.  She focused largely on women learning to “brand” themselves to potential employers.  While the skill is important–being able to articulate one’s strengths–I found the idea of women branding themselves as an extension of a masculine perspective.  It made me think of women being sold, being commodities.

Betty: Betty Roberts was the first Supreme Court justice for the state of Oregon.  Betty talked about how different opportunities were for women when she was trying to become involved in politics and law.  One of the most important things she said while visiting was, “The basics, we think, are done. They’re not.”  That quote epitomizes Betty’s impact and her undying desire to create change she believes in.

Tim: Tim McMahon works closely with University of Oregon’s Center of Community and Diversity as well as the university’s Leadership Center.  Tim brought the only male perspective to class, which was interesting for us all to see.  Several times Tim mentioned the need to live and lead on the edge of chaos.  He indicated that being safe does not always mean being productive.

Allison: Allison Davis-White Eyes is the Director of American Indian Initiatives at OSU.  Allison’s speech to the class cautioned against us, as women, pigeon-holing ourselves; she encouraged us to seek diversity of experiences.  One thing Allison said that resonates with me is, “If you don’t create your own narrative, somebody will create it for you.”  She inspired me to consider the narrative I currently maintain and that which I want to develop.

Celeste: Celeste Walls is a Speech Communication professor at OSU.  It was interesting, considering her vibrant presence and her current subject discipline, to hear that she considers herself an accidental leader.  She spoke about how she resisted taking on some of the brunt of leadership, but said, “Leadership is about having motivation to change and having that motivation outweigh resistance.”

Each of these speakers left us with their distinct view of leadership, allowing us to understand that leadership is personally defined and looks different for each person.

I am keeping this more of a laundry-list so as to be concise.  Being concise is not always my strong point.

-Compassion

-Advocacy

-Unending belief in possibilities

-Reducing disadvantages and increasing access

-Listening to everyone before drawing conclusions

-Allowing multiple voices to be present at the table

-Reducing generalizations

-Increasing individualization

-Meaningful and authentic discussions

-Being considerate

-Looking at each voice as an opportunity to learn

-Valuing change and consistency, as long as each maintains a sense of humanity

-Enjoying the work one does

-Collaborating constantly

-Remembering that mistakes are bound to happen and that humility is key to overcoming them.

There are some skills I feel like I need to learn to be an effective leader and professional.  Below is a list of four skills I intend to focus on developing.

Multicultural Familiarity: I resist using the popular phrase “multicultural competency” because I do not think it accurately describes the on-going process of understanding multicultural perspectives.  This is something that does not have a definitive time line for me, as I believe it changes with advents in world events, policy changes, and pop culture influences.  I know part of my developing this familiarity will be to engage in coursework that will give me a foundational background on some issues that affect multicultural communities.  Additionally, I plan to continue conversations with people of different cultures, to understand context and how one person’s perspective of a culture may differ dramatically from another’s.

Foreign Language: I used to be able to speak Spanish fairly fluently, but because I have not done so in roughly four years, I lost significant ability.  I think that we live in one of the only countries where many people know only one language and, to me, it seems dismissive or closed-minded.  Therefore, over the next 4 years, I plan on re-claiming my Spanish speaking ability through classes and communication with others who speak Spanish.

Financial Competence: While I do well managing my own finances, I realize I am not an organization.  It will be imperative for me to know how to budget for larger-scale projects or organizations.  Next term (Spring 2010), I will be taking a budget and finance class to gain appropriate initial skills.  Past the class, I hope to look for internship opportunities that allow me a look into the finances of an organization.

Staying Informed: It is easy to lose track of the state of the world when we become consumed by our own lives.  It is dangerous to be uninformed.  I am committing to becoming a better news reader over the next year (and to be continued indefinitely).  I plan on focusing largely on educational news or news bits that influence/affect education or youth.  I aim to launch an education blog in April, as a means of documenting my experience in education and pondering solutions to current issues in education.

Generated through a series of fill-in-the-blank boxes from Franklin Covey…

I am at my best when I feel challenged, supported, and inspired..
I will try to prevent times when I feel clueless and dismissed..
I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can I love to interact with students and colleagues, engaging in discussions that help all of us to broaden our worldview and understanding of a topic..
I will find enjoyment in my personal life through I love to spend quality time with friends and loved ones, doing things like going to see live music or being in the outdoors..
I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as listening to others, offering advice, being a good friend, making creative gifts for people, my ever-expanding knowledge of music trivia, cooking.
I can do anything I set my mind to. I will create a non-profit that works with underrepresented students to give them cultural opportunities they may not have, particularly because of socio-economic status. .
My life’s journey is completing graduate study in higher education administration to complement my masters degree in secondary education in an attempt to serve underrepresented students in transitioning from secondary to higher education. The results of this journey are giving students an opportunity previously unavailable to them, providing a more diverse academic community, and making each student believe that they can achieve, regardless of obstacles that may have stood in their way. For me, personally, it is fulfilling to give back to others as I am grateful for the educational opportunities afforded to me..
I will be a person who My best friend will be at my 80th birthday with me, probably sipping an iced tea out on a porch somewhere. I would hope she would say that I’ve been an undying friend, boundless in my compassion, always willing to try new things. She would say I do not settle for complacency; I seek out the newness of each day..
My most important future contribution to others will be Constantly open arms..

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:

• I should fight more for the human rights of others, including groups with which I affiliate.
• I need to make a more concerted effort to be honest about injustices I see, even if that means forsaking some easy harmony in a group.

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:

• unending curiosity and renewed optimism
• clairvoyance into the human condition
• service to others above self

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:

• Keep moving, keep running, keep learning the ways in which the body can develop and the ways in which it can be challenged.
• Remain open-minded. Believe in things happening for a reason that is not always immediately clear. Believing in the good of others and the need to promote and celebrate that. Believe in things I cannot control as indications that I am just one person in a sea of many.
• Challenge myself. Learn new things. And then learn more. Engage daily in some kind of research, no matter how small it is.
• Keep those I love close. Love fully. Experience new things more often than not. Build relationships and create new ones. Believe in the possibility of the NOW instead of resting so much in the past or future.

The following strengths were identified as my top 5 strengths by StrengthsQuest.

Adaptability: how I read this is that I am willing to make changes and the subsequent adaptations those changes require.  I may even look forward to this.  I think more than anything it appeals to my restless nature of wanting to seek more, develop more, learn more.  In wanting that, adaptation must occur. But this does not mean I am finely tuned in my adaptability.

To further develop my adaptability, I plan to seek new experiences that challenge me to be thrust into a new environment–that could be geographically, culturally, or organizationally different.  To be truly adaptable, one must have a myriad of experiences.  I desire this.

Ideation: StrengthsQuest really got me here.  I am fascinated, borderline obsessed, with ideas.  Those ideas could be from articles I read, news stories I hear, conversations I have, or mind-wanderings I take while walking the streets of Corvallis or Brooklyn.  The thing that makes this strength a weakness is how it can be all-consuming, stopping me from attaining the recommended hours of sleep or giving me a place to go when I lose interest in the task at hand.  I do not wish to quash this strength, though, so I know there are some things to do to build it as a strength without letting it dictate my attention.

To personally develop my ideation, I know I will need to be better about documenting these thoughts and ideas I have.  It is frustrating when I hear something that provokes ideas and I cannot recall it later.  A simple pen and pad of paper in my bag could alleviate this frustration.

Input: I understand this strength as being endless curiosity.  An inquisitive nature about most things.  StrengthsQuest, do you track my online activity?  I consider myself a bit of a Wikipedia victim, as I can spiral from one minor question into a three hour session of investigating to more thoroughly know a subject, all because of that power of association and suggestion so inherent in Wikipedia pages.  My inquisitive nature undoubtedly informed my eleventh grade Spanish teacher’s prediction that I would forever be a student.

To develop my strength, I plan on continuing my education.  I will fill the need to know more by learning more; part of my desire to work in higher education is the access to continuing education.  I plan on being a lifelong learner.

Futuristic: I understand this strength as having a positive view of the possibilities the future holds.  While thinking about the future can be daunting, intimidating, even paralyzing, there’s a part of me that says, “But think of what’s possible!”

To develop this strength, I need to take my curiosity with the future and develop plans for the future.  I think it’s easy to become overwhelmed by possibilities, but having a plan of action or things to accomplish empowers me to meet the future with open arms.

Individualization: This really explains my communication style.  I value deep connections with people on an individual level.  I like working with groups, but I know the reason I can work effectively with a group of people is because I know them each as individuals.  I veer away from generalizing people based on their affiliations with identity groups, as I know that identity groups often serve as community-builders but are not the definition of a person.

To develop this strength, I plan on continuing authentic conversations with people and connecting my contacts with each other.  It is liberating when I introduce a friend to another friend of mine and they fall into friendship stride quickly.  I believe this will be a major part of my personal and professional development–initiating and maintaining these individual relationships.

After examining each of these strengths, I believe they all point to my boundless curiosity.  I know that we have this time on earth, that there is no promise beyond today, and that I want to learn as much about the world and people around me as possible.  I want to hear your stories.

Leadership is the ability to collaborate.  Leadership requires a person to understand his/her clear role in an organization and how the unique perspective that person brings allows others to flourish in generating ideas, planning, and acting on plans.  Leadership means maintaining a level of humility and compassion.  There is no growth without understanding the human element of working with and for others.  Leadership is advocacy for change and innovation–not settling for pre-established routines when they are deemed unsuitable for the greater good of people.

I was an English major in college.  I think this stemmed from my fondness for creative writing and the way words were used to describe incredible moments.  I found connection with people who were readers, who wanted to get lost in the words of others.  I found my voice through other writers.

I remember reading Ms. Dalloway for the first time and feeling an overwhelming sense of, “Yes!  That’s it!”  Virginia Woolf created a narrative style that changed literature.  Her stream-of-consciousness writing spoke to many and I find, in my interactions with other women, she spoke the narrative style of female thought.

A Room of One’s Own is an inspiration for me.  Woolf illuminated a woman’s need for mental space, just as her male peers demanded.  There is something to be said for one having a room of one’s own–imagine that escape place.  If for just an hour a day, one could have a space of refuge, all to one’s self.

[4]

Dear Director of Marketing for American Apparel,

I remember when I first heard about your company, about five years ago.  I was excited that an American company was going to challenge the outsourcing several clothing companies and retail stores relied on, outsourcing that meant using cheap, sweatshop-style labor in many instances.  I looked forward to supporting a company that employed people in a unionized environment and created fashionable and affordable clothing.

Today, I am disillusioned.  When I return to New York City to visit friends and family, I see American Apparel billboards throughout Manhattan.  Often these billboards showcase women in compromising positions to the point where one wonders what is being advertised.  Is it the American Apparel tights, since it’s the only thing the model is wearing or is it the model, body contorted like she’s writhing with sexual pleasure?  Those tights must feel good.  When your 2010 Miami advertisement campaign “salute[d] Miami” was it with the model’s wide-open legs or her American Apparel bathing suit?  I cannot see the details on the bathing suit; maybe the suit is incredible enough to salute a culturally vibrant city.

I wonder how many car accidents your billboard marketing campaigns caused.  Fast drivers, mouths agape out of sexual desire or bewilderment.  I wonder how many child passengers, particularly young girls, thought that becoming a grown-up meant spreading legs wide or pretending to hump the floor.

I understand that your division has won countless awards for marketing and branding.  But I ask—what are you branding?  Is it the clothing?  You have a definite following in “hipster” couture culture, so why the need to sell the clothing with overtly sexual and often degrading advertisements?  I have yet to see an advertisement of yours with a man’s legs spread wide open or looking ready to be spanked.  Women have countless years of bodily exploitation to overcome and your campaigns only complicate the process; while women try to assert their intellectual value in society, your advertisements teach the selling of a woman’s body to sell products.

Stand by your responsible production practices by implementing a different marketing plan.  Show your female consumers that you do not believe they are to be consumed.  Make me believe in and support your company again.

Sincerely,

Allyson