Leadership is such a universal word that transcends space, time, and cultures. Much has been said about who can lead and what qualities are needed for effective leadership. Leadership among women is gaining such tremendous momentum. Women are making headway in almost of every sphere of influence. Despite the momentous gains, women still face hindrances as they climb the leadership ladder. Globally, women share war stories and help bind the scars of their fellow comrades. Even in 2022, women still are making less than their male counterparts for the same role. We are still screaming, “EQUAL PAY for EQUAL WORK”. We can’t have this conversation without discussing the plight of women in the BIPOC community.

As a black female leader, I share the sentiment of the glass ceiling and having to plough through brick walls of institutionalized racism, microinsults, and microaggression in the boardroom. Often in the boardroom, the voices of marginalized communities are silenced through unfair advantages, pseudo- diversity initiatives, and the “good ole boy system”. Solutions for the problem are all around us. The question we must ask is, “Are we really willing to do both the hard work, and the heart work? Are we committed to answering the hard questions about Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) or the gender bias that exist from the front door to the boardroom. Until we are unapologetically committed to equity in leadership, Ladies Who Lead, will never be given the chance to demonstrate their capacity for leadership. What’s worse, we hinder community growth, organizational viability, economic sustainability, and an overall better place for all of us.

Leadership by definition is “the action of leading a group of people or an organization. Leadership has never been gender- specific. It is the fundamental nature of patriarchy that has decided the possibility of women leading could be catastrophic. It was asinine then, and it asinine in 2022. We all know that the world would fall off its axis if we remove women from leadership. Women just know how to get the job done. We could venture back the beginning of man and woman and find that in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, Genesis 2:18, The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”. God knew that man was incomplete without the woman, so he made a WOMAN! My interpretation of that verse has always been that God created woman so man, would not kill himself. Smile! You and I both know that it is true. God gave EVE the exact same authority as Adam after he pulled her out of him. If God believed that women had the same capacity as man, who are we to have a problem with the designer. Actually, there are only two things a woman can’t do: Be a husband, be a father.

Ladies who lead need accessibility to the same opportunities, resources, mentorship, and financial solvency as their male counterparts. How do we clear the pathway for women to lead authentically, regularly, and transformationally? WE TRAIN THEM and WE TRAIN THEM EARLY. According to Beach (2011), girls often receive differential treatment in traditional public-school settings and are less likely to be chosen to lead. Unfortunately, when girls start school, they have been indoctrinated to believe that boys are better, especially when it comes to leadership. Because of this notion single-gender education was born. I believe in what the data conveys, girls trained for leadership, are women who dominate in leadership. Not only should we train the girls, we have to re-program everyone so that when a woman is leading she is not judged. I want to encourage every woman, who had to claw her way to the top, because you did it, you give the little girls, young adult women watching the courage to know she can as well.

The greatest thing I have seen was the election of Vice- President Kamala Harris. A black female leader in

one of the highest offices in the land. I cried that day for many reasons. A woman of color, I could identify. A female leader, I could Identify. We must give women and girls someone to identify with. Who will identify with you? Will you be the LADY WHO LEADS?

#BEALEADER #LEADWELL #BEASERVANTLEADER #BIPOC #FEMALELEADER #LEADINGLADIES