05 Apr 2011
by Lavernein entrepreneurship, Lead by Example, Uncategorized Tags: Courage, credibility, dreams, Harriet Tubman, Leadership, leadership qualities, notable women in history, successful escape, woman leader
Image by Paul Lowry via Flickr
Leaders, how determined are you to accomplish the goals that you ask others to embrace? Are you willing to go it alone, just you and your dream until you are able to lead others down the same path?
Often leaders start out alone, a leader of no one aside from herself. The leader lives and breathes the singular kernel of an ideal, a belief, or a necessity that must be accomplished, no matter the odds. The odds might be life or death, as was the case with Harriet Tubman, a fine example of a historical woman leader. Only her escape to freedom would bring her an opportunity to fulfill her dreams.
In 1849 … the slaves were to be sold, though previously set free by an old will. Harriet resolved not to be sold, and so, with no knowledge of the North … she walked away one night alone (Sanborn, 1863).
The odds for you as a leader may not be life or death, but it could mean your livelihood, or even our credibility. How do you ensure success of your venture or goal? More
20 Feb 2011
by Lavernein Harriet Tubman Tags: Harriet Tubman, Leadership, leadership lessons, leading a team, self respect
Image via Wikipedia
One of the many leadership lessons that Harriet Tubman exemplified was enabling self-respect within the slaves she helped free. She realized that it was not sufficient to simply free slaves. This would have left them no better off, and perhaps worse off than they were before they were freed.
This leadership lesson was best demonstrated after she helped free slaves while on a mission along the Combahee River as the leader of a Union Army expedition to:
“… take up the torpedoes placed by the rebels in the river, to destroy railroads and bridges, and to cut off supplies from the rebel troops.”
The expedition included Colonel Montgomery, who was an auxilliary leader of the mission, though officially appointed to lead the mission and several hundred black soldiers.
The Commonwealth, a Boston newspaper, noted this in 1863 about Harriet Tubman’s leadership during the raid:
“It is significant as the only military engagement in American history wherein a woman black or white, “led the raid and under whose inspiration it was originated and conducted”. Keep reading
08 Feb 2011
by Lavernein Coaching, Courage, Harriet Tubman Tags: Courage, courageous leader, Harriet Tubman, inspiration, notable women in history, timeless lessons, women in history
Could you imagine asking a new employee to write a computer program even though he has never even seen a computer? Would you think that verbally abusing the employee will motivate the employee to write the expected program?
That’s essentially what happened to Harriet Tubman over one hundred eighty years ago as a young child. Of course, she wasn’t asked to write a computer program, but Harriet was ordered by a woman to Keep reading
01 Aug 2010
by Lavernein Collaboration, Harriet Tubman, Lead by Example, Leadership
Quick, which social media tool would Harriet Tubman have used the most?
- Twitter?
- Facebook?
- Flickr?
- Stumble Upon?
- None of the above?
First, I think should would have loved social media because these tools would have enabled her to spread her message about the brutality of slavery and ways to escape slavery far and wide. It would have been allowed her to efficiently network and collaborate with other leaders without the limitations of transportation and communication that existed in the 1860s. She could have also used social networking tools to enhance her personal brand by increasing the audience that was aware of her passions and accomplishments.
The first time I came to really appreciate Twitter was during the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India. Citizens of the world were able to follow the brief messages sent by those trying to escape the violence at the Taj hotel and other spots around the city.
Then ordinary people of Iran were able to send out brief text messages during the Iranian Presidential election in 2009. The American government even asked Twitter to keep its servers up during a scheduled maintenance period to enable tweeting from Iranians. To me this showed the power of a ubiquitous communication tool to help those struggling for their freedom to communicate with each other and the world.
Any great leader must use the technology and circumstances of his or her era to be effective in garnering the support of others. This post acknowledges how Harriet leveraged her circumstances to design how she would respond to the challenge of slavery in her personal life and to help others.
Harriet Tubman, I believe, would have found ways to exploit the power of social media tools to engage a wide community about the goals, actions and needs of the abolitionist community.
Which tool do you think she would have used the most and why? You can also vote on the main page of this blog And for your interests and cause(s), which tool are you using the most to network and enhance your brand?
25 Jul 2010
by Lavernein Harriet Tubman, Lead by Example Tags: abolition, effective speech, Harriet Tubman, heroine, Servant Leadership, underground railroad
How difficult is it for you to take the podium or even to speak up in a crowded room? Do you focus on one of these possible risks?
- Making a mistake
- Forgetting your point
- Boring your audience
- Taking an unpopular position
- Promoting yourself at the expense of others
The above risks are definitely possible but with any risk, focusing on ...
11 Jul 2010
by Lavernein Harriet Tubman, Leadership, Madam C. J. Walker Tags: Authentic Leadership, great women leaders, Harriet Tubman, Leadership, leadership qualities, notable women in history
I recently listened to a podcast in which Jeffrey Pfeffer, author and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business professor, was interviewed for Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast. The podcast is called, Telling the Truth About Power. It accompanied an article he wrote in the July issue of HBR. In the podcast, Mr. Pfeffer acknowledges what I’ve long suspected – and perhaps you have too. More
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