Andrea Wong - Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for a New Generation

The essays contained in this book have common threads that run throughout, not the least of which is the impact that women can have on the next generation. To all women who are imparting their own secrets to power to their granddaughters, daughters, nieces, and the many other girls they encounter, we salute you, and this book is dedicated to you. To my own nieces, Erin, Anna, Alexa, and Elianna, this book is dedicated to you as well.

Id also like to dedicate this book to The White House Project , a nonprofit organization that works tirelessly and smartly to advance women in leadershipin their communities, in business, in government, and, hopefully one day, all the way to the White House.

Andrea Wong

This is dedicated to my two favorite women, my mom, Isabel Celeste, and my grandmother Isabel Mima II. It is your collective fierceness and perseverance that inspires me. Your love, support, sacrifice, guidance, humor, and larger-than-life spirit moves me. It is my lifes challenge and my aspiration to emulate and honor your greatness. I love you both dearly.

Rosario Isabel Dawson

There is something special that happens when you get a group of powerful women in a roomand shut the door.

If youve ever had that experience, you know what I am talking about. Its not always easy to explain, but its a very real and palpable dynamic. Theres a sense of camaraderie that comes from the deep level of understanding of the opportunities and challenges women share. For example, weve all thought about the if and when of having children and how that decision will impact our careers. Weve all had a womana teacher, a boss, a motherpositively affect our lives and help us get to where we are today. But, to varying degrees, weve also all felt or witnessed the effects, directly or indirectly, of a legacy of womens inequality, whether on the playing field, in our schools and homes, or at our workplaces.

Some people dismiss this kind of gathering as a sorority. But its not frivolous, superficial, or even corny. And its not a forum for male-bashing. Its simply a safe, comfortable environment in which profound truth-telling is possible. Its an atmosphere where secrets can be shared and honored.

That is exactly what happened during the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions at Lifetimes Future Frontrunners Summit. In both Denver and St. Paul, the sites of the two conventions, Lifetime and its partners CosmoGirl! and the nonprofit Declare Yourself gathered a diverse roster of leading politicians, journalists, and advocates to speak to the sixteen high school and college students who were winners of our Future Frontrunners essay contest. The initiative was part of Lifetimes award-winning Every Woman Counts campaign to empower and inspire women and girls to make their voices heard in every hall of power.

Behind the closed doors of the two Future Frontrunners Summits, the most seasoned politicians of both parties let down their guards and shared intimate details of their professional and personal experiences with great candor, humor, and grace.

The Future Frontrunners Summit speakersand now the contributors to this bookcome from big cities and small towns, representing nearly twenty states across the country. They are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; white, African-American, Latina, and Asian-American; Christian, Jewish, and Muslim; single, married, and divorced. Yet their life lessons and advice for leadership have much in common, including the importance of passion, mentors, organizing a community, and simply being your authentic self. And their secrets about power arewell, powerful.

Smile more: Martha Burk, the former head of the National Council of Womens Organizations and leader of the fight to allow women to join the Augusta National Golf Club, reveals, If were too assertive, were characterized as bitchy and castrating. This doesnt mean we cant be assertive and push hard. We just have to smile more while were doing it.

The power of the petition: As a third-grader in Ohio, Lisa Maatz of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) had her first lobbying experience fighting for doors on the stalls of the girls bathroom. As she writes, I had first asked [the principal] for doors all by myself and got nothing. In fact, I got worse than nothingI got dismissed, even disrespected. But when I gave Mr. Ginke a petition signed by two hundred of my classmates, I had doors in a week.

We may not be brilliant at more than one thing at once: I was a single parent who owned a business and served in public office. Some days I was a great mother. Some days I was a very savvy businesswoman, and some days I was a brilliant mayor. I cant remember a single day when I was all three at the same time, confesses Representative Kay Granger (R-TX), [but] my sons can iron and cook. My daughter can fix anything.

Spice Girls, dont let the system change you: Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) recounts, When I first ran for the Congress, my husband and I had dinner with some consultants to discuss strategy. One topic I remember vividly was my image. They wanted to frump me up! Some people think Im too sexy, too spicy, too open, and too direct. But that works for me. I say, choose to be who you are!

Stay put: Carol Jenkins, longtime reporter and anchor and now head of the Womens Media Center, shares a letter from her very first news director: It has come to our attention that you are attempting to organize the women in the newsroom. Please feel free to leave at any time. Well, I stayed in the newsroom for over thirty years.

Yikes, the path to politics can be unconventional: After surviving uterine cancer and becoming an advocate for womens health, actress Fran Drescher found herself meeting with First Lady Laura Bushs staff. I said, Lame duck, schmame duckI need to share my message with women around the world! Before I knew it I had been appointed a Public Diplomacy Envoy by the U.S. State Department.

How to get things done: Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) shares her favorite quote from Margaret Thatcher: If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.

Where were heading if we dont support each other: Citing a quip from Madeleine Albright, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) says, There is a special place in Hell for women who dont help other women.

The most important secrets to success that I have learned over the course of my career in the entertainment industry are easy for any woman to remember, whether she is still in college or she is a senior executive.

Listen: All perspectives and opinions should be valued and respected, no matter who they come from. A good leader listens to diverse points of view before making a decision.

Be kind: Treat all people, no matter who they are or what their title is, with respect and kindness, just the way you would want to be treated.

Build relationships: In addition to hard work and good performance, women should never underestimate the power of relationships when it comes to career advancement and personal fulfillment at work.

While it has taken the greater part of our careers for many of us to learn some of our most important lessons, we dont want it to take the next generation so long. The Summit was created to unlock these secrets and enable the young Future Frontrunners contest winners to achieve even greater success by building on the momentum created by some of the foremost women leaders in the country.

It was beyond inspiring to see the awe and excitement of these young women when they got to visit the convention floor. There was also a sense of urgency at the Summit to quickly cultivate these young women for leadership. Today, women hold only 17 percent of the seats in Congress, 7 out of 50 governorships, 24.3 percent of state legislatures, and are ranked 71st internationally in womens political representation, behind even Iraq and Afghanistan. Fifteen Fortune 500 companies, or 3 percent, are run by women, and women hold only 3 percent of top positions in mainstream media.