Dear friends,
I am excited to share with
you that I authored a book on women leadership and it is tentatively titled, “Strategies
to Build Women Leaders Globally: Think Managers, Think Men; Think Leaders,
Think Women.” I have dedicated this book to Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey. I advocate gender equality globally (#HeForShe). Here are the
details about the book with a free chapter. I would appreciate if you could
share your thoughts about this book on social media channels including
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
About The Book
“Can you imagine what the
world would be like if women who constitute almost half of the global
population had access to education and opportunities and were allowed to
contribute their best? We would achieve prosperity globally in all spheres.”
―Professor M.S. Rao #HeForShe
This book outlines gender,
diversity, inclusion, career, coaching, leadership, C-suite and branding. It is a short course on women leadership. You
can easily toss the book into a briefcase or purse and read here and there as
time allows. It is a quick reference guide for all learners, leaders and those
who advocate gender equality globally.
"There is no chance, no
destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined
soul." —Ella Wheeler Wilcox
When we think about managers
we think about men. However, when we think about leaders do we think about women? Yes. We must
think about women because women are better leaders than men in several aspects.
Most men talk about women empowerment and equality of women but in reality a
few of them walk their talk and advocate the gender equality globally. I have
demonstrated my commitment to advocate gender equality globally by joining
United Nation’s #HeForShe Movement. I have written several articles on women
empowerment in my books and blogs for more than a decade. I decided to author a
book on women empowerment and leadership. Hence, I have done an extensive
research on women leaders and wrote my first research paper on women leadership
titled, ‘A blueprint to build women chief executive officers globally.’ It was
published by Thunderbird International Business Review URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tie.21990.
Here is the free access to this paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tie.21990?author_access_token=0wmTvdsYXhMQHvKXzJSaGU4keas67K9QMdWULTWMo8P5FkUPU8fv2VVpufa9wmqq0ZGAhIjAY7uEXfoH6P3Vv9cwil7YIFzcZsv3qQebjIDBIhgRom6GdkcqeFLrDTGS
One Woman can Change the World
“You must never
be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” —Rosa Parks
When you look at
Rosa Parks, she was one woman who refused to give her bus seat to a white
passenger thus setting the civil rights movement in America. When you look at Tarana
Burke, she is one woman who is responsible for #MeToo Movement thus bringing
waves globally. When you look at Oprah Winfrey, she is one woman who continues
to inspire the world with her entrepreneurship and leadership. When you look at
Malala Yousafzai she is one woman who refused to bow down to terrorists’
bullets thus pioneering girls’ education globally at the tender age of 10 years.
And the list goes on with women leaders who changed the world and inspired us.
It is obvious that one woman can make a difference. In this introductory
chapter, we will discuss about the women leaders who broke the glass ceiling
and inspired millions of women and men globally.
Rosa
Parks—Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
“Stand for something or you
will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its
ground.” —Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, the "Mother
of the Civil Rights Movement" refused to give up her bus seat to a white
passenger that led to civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to social
injustice. On December 01 evening in 1955, Rosa Parks quietly incited a
revolution — by just sitting down.
"Are you going to stand
up?" Montgomery bus driver James Blake demanded. Rosa Parks looked
straight at him and said: "No." Flustered, and not quite sure what to
do, Blake retorted, "Well, I'm going to have you arrested." And
Parks, still sitting next to the window, replied softly, "You may do
that." After Parks refused to move,
she was arrested and fined $10. She remarked, “I have no police record, I’d
worked all my life, I wasn’t pregnant with an illegitimate child. The white
people couldn’t point to me and say that there was anything I had done to
deserve such treatment except to be born black”. She spurred the Montgomery boycott and the
chain of events changed the United States. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled
segregation on buses was illegal in 1956. Rosa Parks
was an inspiring woman who changed the face of the world by advocating civil
rights. Here are some lessons you can learn from her. Be bold. Fight for your
rights. Take your battle to its logical end.
Oprah Winfrey—An Inspiring Entrepreneur and Media Moghul
“The biggest
adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” —Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail
Winfrey needs no introduction to the world. She is a self-made billionaire with
a huge presence on social media trending with hashtag #Oprah2020. She is a
multifaceted personality—an entrepreneur, actress, television producer, talk
show host, philanthropist and an inspirational woman leader. She rose from
humble origins and defied all odds to become rich and voice for women causes
globally. She is emotional and eloquent. She was inspired by Maya Angelou’s
autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." She considers Maya
Angelou her mentor. Initially she was an ugly duckling and subsequently evolved
as a beautiful swan and an inspiring women leader gradually. She is a voracious
reader and enjoys reading self-help books. She interviewed several eminent
international celebrities including Michael Jackson in ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’.
She received America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom from Barack Obama in November 2013. Here are some lessons you can learn
from her. Dream big. Follow your passionate areas. Be a continuous learner.
Lead from the front. Walk your talk. Leverage your strengths but be cautious
about your weaknesses. Take risks and learn lessons from failures. Hire people
smarter than you and give them credit. Work hard, smart and wise. Stay
relevant. Build your credibility and enhance your
visibility. Build your leadership brand consistently. Reinvent yourself. Stay
grounded. Be magnanimous. Keep people before profit. Add value to others. Don’t
compromise with your principles. Be passionate about making a difference to the
world.
Malala Yousafzai—An Inspiring Millennial
“We should not
wait for someone else to come and raise our voice. We should do it by
ourselves. We should believe in ourselves. Yes, we can do it. One day you will
see that all the girls will be powerful; All the girls will be going to school.
And it is possible only by our struggle; only when we raise our voice.” —Malala
Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai
is a bold Pakistani child activist who advocated girl child’s right to
education. She defied death threats from the Taliban and boldly spoke about the
importance of education for girls in Pakistan. The Taliban attempted to silence
her by shooting her on the morning of October 9, 2012. She survived and pioneered
education for every child. She remarked, “They thought a bullet would silence
us, but they failed. Nothing changed in my life except this: Weaknesses, fear
and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.” She was honored
at the age of 15 on the cover of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. She is the
youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient. As a mark of respect to her, Malala Day
is celebrated on 12th of July every year to highlight the fight of
education globally. It is obvious from her biography that there is no cause too
small to fight for. Here are some lessons you must learn from her. Dream big.
Be bold. Come out of your comfort zone. Set an example. Lead from the front.
Inspire others. Fight for your rights. Be persistent. Overcome obstacles. Be
resilient. Age is not a deterrent to make a difference to the world. Remember,
everything is possible in this world when you are determined and passionate
about bringing the change. Malala is a true inspiration to the world better than
the so-called celebrities who show their skin and adopt all types of gimmicks
to draw attention to market and brand themselves.
Drawing
inspiration from these inspiring women leaders, women must break their mental
barriers and limitations to become agents of change globally. To conclude, one
women can change the world. Remember, that one woman maybe you!
References
Note: Here is the link to purchase
my bestselling book ‘21 Success Sutras for CEOs: How Global CEOs Overcome
Leadership Challenges in Turbulent Times to Build Good to Great Organizations’ http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Ceos-Rao/dp/162865290X
Life is great!
Professor
M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership
Consultants India
Vision 2030: https://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com
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Thanks for reading!
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and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.
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