By Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown
My question is this – are you a Moxie Woman? Do you know who you are? Where you are? Do you know what time it is? Let me explain what it takes to be a Moxie Woman. She is a catalyst, an inspiration, and a role model for younger women who have dreams and aspirations.
Moxie Women have the energy to get things done. They have the guts, courage, the nerve and audacity to act on and move on noble causes. They have the “know-how” to tackle their dreams and accomplish their goals with confidence, style and grace.
Moxie Women also know how to pass the torch and understand the value of having a bench. We, who have decades of experience in our chosen field of endeavor and have endured or survived the lows, the impediments and the crises have a testimony. Moxie Women value sharing the lessons learned. They realize that they sharpen their leadership in the mentoring process. It is because of these lessons that Moxie Women can be unapologetic and relentless about lifting other women toward the glass ceilings.
There is beauty in having a bench. The women who lead today should make it a practice to mentor at least one young promising woman to whom they can coach and prepare to accept the torch. First Lady Michelle Obama said it best:
“It’s important to make way for those new voices and ideas so that the country and the world continue to evolve.”
It is our job to encourage and nurture the strengths, qualities and skill-sets these promising young women already bring to the table. It is imperative that we create and provide opportunities and platforms that allow them to express their voices.
Mentors are essential! Many of us have had mentors who have motivated us, inspired us, and nudged us in the right direction, even when we did not see the top of the stairs.
My first inspiration has, and always will be my mother. She was a widow at age 37. My father died when I was 16 and left my mother with seven children to raise. My mother taught me at age 22 that I needed to be a guidepost and lamppost for my five sisters and brother.
Joan Myers Brown, the founder of PHILADANCO, has been a mentor as well. JB, as she is affectionately called, modeled what my mom preached to my siblings and me – EXCELLENCE.
JB joins several other phenomenal Philadelphia women, such as Donna Allie, founder of Team Clean; Joann Bell, co-founder of Black Women’s Leadership; Sharmain Matlock-Turner, president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition, and Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of Independence Blue Cross Foundation, all of whom are exceptional examples of women who have built a bench of younger women that represent the next generation of leadership. Women who are deserving of the coaching required to equip them to receive the baton.
Young women professionals will learn that you are offered the torch only if you make excellence your thumbprint and footprint in your work product.
My vision is for more women to develop the philosophy and embrace the new paradigm where established, successful women who will apply their expertise to teach rising stars that skill and competence are not enough. Building strong character and value-based qualities matter more than skill.
“Most of all – realize that you are carrying a torch that women behind you are looking for the next step. Light their way.”
~ Beth Mooney, chairman and CEO KeyCorp
During my entire 20 years in City Council, it is no secret that I have espoused this message and tried to live by example. I have passed the baton to Katherine Gilmore Richardson, my former chief of staff in Philadelphia City Council.
So, I ask again, are you a Moxie Woman? If so, reach back! As a leader, recognize that eventually management will change hands. So, it is a MUST that you plan to invest your time and energy to counsel future leaders.
In closing, Moxie Women Inspire, Push, Influence, Motivate and Win! We teach our mentees to disavow a “good-enough to get by” system of values. We show them (and our own peers) that it is only by stretching that you become better.
I can say this with authority, as my life and my work in City Council is a living testimony to this truth.
Max Lucado said it best: “There are things only you can do, and only you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song. You owe it to God to play them both sublimely.”
Disclaimer:
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.
Leave a Comment