Celebrating Women

Hello Sheeba, 

As many know, March is recognized as Women's History Month in the United States. When you hear this phrase, I think most people understand that it is a month dedicated to celebrating females and their contributions to society.

And when I think of think of celebrating women, I do take time to reflect and acknowledge the challenging road that it has been for women all over the world. I hear the questions and concerns in my conversations with women leaders that I coach. And guess what? There isn't an answer that can be described as "one size fits all".  

Instead, I choose to celebrate the progress that has happened and continues to occur. We see trailblazers in different fields that would not have been possible years ago. We see partnerships and collaborators helping and supporting one another. We see initiatives that have catalyzed actions to change from how it is has always been done. We see endless possibilities regarding professions for women that have disrupted our biases. We see that there is progress and we need to continue.  

So, how much do we really know about the history behind this month? 

HISTORY OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH:

Women's History Month actually started out as Women's History Week. The celebration originated in Santa Rosa, California as a local celebration in this specific city. A group called, "The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women" planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978.

The week of March 8th was chosen to correspond with International Women's Day.

This sparked a movement that spread like wildfire across different communities and eventually across the country. The next year, many other communities had their own Women's History week celebrations. 

In 1980, several women's groups, led by the National Women's History Alliance (known then as the National Women's History Project) lobbied for national recognition and succeeded.

President Jimmy Carter officially declared the week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women's History Week in February of 1980. 

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Now that you know a little more about the origin and history of this month, consider the women in your sphere. What is one simple step you can take to acknowledge, support and/or be that ally for them? 

 

Inspiring You To Thrive, 

 

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Meg Whitman: Chief Executive of eBay

"Ebay's Meg Whitman built a retail leviathan without sacrificing her customers, shareholders, or ethics." 

There's a slogan that goes around and it says, "What would Meg do?"That's because the chief executive of Ebay, Meg Whitman, has a heart of gold and standards that match.

She doesn't take shortcuts and values the people around her, and she has impeccable integrity in every aspect of her work.

She became Chief Executive of Ebay in March of 1998. After six months in this position, she took the company public at an initial market value of $700 million and now Ebay is worth $46 billion. 

Read the story about Meg Whitman, and why she's an inspiration and a role model for so many women in the business world.

"I'm a better leader, a better manager, a better executive than when I arrived as a youngster. I have learned how to manage a company that reinvents itself every couple of years." Whitman stated.

CLICK HERE to read her entire story

 LEADERSHIP RESOURCE: Women's Leadership Podcasts

There are so many incredible and informative podcasts that it can often feel overwhelming to find one to start listening to! Here are some leadership podcasts by women, in celebration of Women's History Month! There are 30 included in the article, you can read the article and find links to all of the podcasts here!

SHE LEADS PODCAST:

RISING WOMEN LEADERS:

Sheeba Varghese is a strategic partner for your talent development solutions and the author of Confidence, Clarity & Ease: A Guide For Emerging Leaders To Thrive. Her passion is to inspire and equip men and women to lead with excellence and authenticity within the spheres of influences that they are called to impact in life. The spheres may be in a home, on a team, in a classroom, among partners in a firm, or within management, to name a few.

Sheeba works with: 

Senior Leaders and professionals who want to develop stronger leadership skills, have impact and move forward in their careers

Teams who want to work cohesively within their organizations

Coaches who want to renew or apply for certification with ICF

If you want to improve your leadership skills, transition from managing to leading, ensure your team is amazingly successful, increase your own self-awareness and progress your career, or you aspire to be a masterful coach for your clients, then Sheeba would love to support you. She works with clients globally, both face-to-face, phone or by Zoom.

In her time apart from clients, Sheeba enjoys time with her husband, Santosh, and their 2 sons, Sam and Steven. She loves great movies, a good book, decorating and dining at the wonderful restaurants in the Bay Area.