“Some of us already have great runways built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don’t have one realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who follow after you.” Amelia Earhart
In celebration of Women’s History Month this month, I am going to showcase women who have influenced me. Each week I will describe how and why these women impacted me, some I knew, others were role models from afar.
The first woman I am writing about is Amelia Earhart. She is someone I studied and who had a profound impact on my professional life. We know her history. Earhart defied odds when she took on the challenge of being the first woman to fly around the world. She set a number of world records, including being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928, the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932 and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California in 1935
For me, the story is about her leadership characteristics, her belief in her abilities, her determination against all odds and her desire to help other women. Earhart faced each challenge with passion, fully aware of the dangers ahead, and of the possible perils that ultimately took her life as her plane disappeared out of the sky in 1937.
Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24th, 1897. At that time, women were not allowed to vote, to have a strong opinion and were not allowed to become leaders. However, Amelia did what other women only dreamed of doing, she had a vision of what she wanted to accomplish and then achieved her goals. Her authentic daring spirit of adventure and courage inspired many. She didn’t hold back. She pursued her dreams and decided to break barriers others saw as impossible.
Six Qualities About Amelia Earhart That Inspired Me
1. Leadership is open to everyone
Growing up during a time where women were prevented from being in leadership roles, and in a household known to be biased, Amelia insisted that neither gender nor religious beliefs disqualified a person from a leadership position or any other position.
This same philosophy has allowed me to move beyond any obstacles throughout my career.
2. Set goals and work hard to achieve them
After being a part of the Friendship crew that flew across the Atlantic, Earhart wanted to fulfill her goal. She was a pilot, not a passenger. She then set an ambitious goal for herself: to become the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. It would be an extremely dangerous flight.” She said: “Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.”
The quality of “not settling” for less than the goals I wanted, allowed me to take risks. As with any risk, some worked and some didn’t. But there was always a lesson learned that I took with me to the next adventure.
3. Learn from the success of others
Earhart kept a scrapbook of successful women in predominantly male oriented fields and studied their lives carefully. As a result, she developed her own philosophy about being successful. “Women will gain economic justice by proving themselves in all lines of endeavor, not by having laws passed for them,” she wrote.
This quality of not waiting for others, or new policies, or new laws has been a guiding principle for me. It helped me to work harder to accomplish any task or situation I was presented.
4. Care about others
Whether it was girls excluded from sororities or soldiers wounded in battle, Earhart helped others in challenging situations. Earhart spent two years on Purdue’s West Lafayette, Ind., campus as a career counselor to hundreds of mostly women. A few of those young women were motivated to pursue flight, but she encouraged all to consider a wide range of then non-traditional careers, especially in science and engineering.
My chosen career path has evolved to helping others as an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Facilitator. There is no greater pleasure than giving back.
5. Great leaders constantly seek new knowledge
Amelia was very eager to become a pilot. However, she realized the importance of learning more than just being a pilot. Her passion to learn it all was important. She also wanted to understand the technical details of flying so she read about aeronautics.
I have always had a curiosity and need for knowledge. This philosophy has helped me to keep current with every new project, job or business I have been involved with.
6. Don’t worry about failing—just try
Earhart’s attempt to fly around the world was the expression of her life’s philosophy. Earhart said: “I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. If they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
What’s the worst that can happen? While Amelia lost her life to her passion, she didn’t worry about failure. I have had my share of wins and losses, and have always been a believer of “just try”.
Earhart hoped that her high profile success would inspire other young women to live to their full potential. She hoped her example of courage, intelligence, and self-reliance would help topple negative stereotypes about women, opening new doors to women in every field. She remains a symbol of the power and perseverance of American women.
The Executive Presence Group is driven by a passion for personal growth, educating women to be all they can and to show them how to grab a shove and dig.
Who has inspired you to take risk in your professional or personal life?
We are taking a break from the 10 Weeks of Executive and Leadership Presence Tips to focus on Women’s History Month. See you next week for my next female inspiration!
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