Paving the Way…

“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.”

I just rediscovered this quote online, and even though it is unattributed (free annual membership to the first person who can find the author of the quote), I believe it captures the absolute spirit of She Runs It. This month we are focusing on our mission, which is to “pave the way for more women to lead at every level of marketing and media.”

It’s a mission we repeat so often, we believe it is important to step back and truly focus on the words.

What does it mean to “pave the way” for more women to lead? It means a lot. It means sharing your experiences with other women, so they can learn from your successes and your failures. It means speaking up in a meeting when a woman’s idea is overlooked until it is repeated by a man. It means giving encouragement to a woman who is having a bad day. And it means acknowledging a woman who has done a great thing. It means shutting down gossip or stepping up in defense of a woman who is being judged unfairly. It can be as simple as a smile, or as time consuming as advocating for equal pay in your workplace.

At She Runs It, we pave the way by creating networking opportunities for women (and men are welcome too). We pave the way by hosting training and leadership development events. We pave the way through our job bank and our mentoring program. We pave the way be giving loan relief (we have passed the $500K mark) to women who are paying back the expenses of education.

We call ourselves a community. We are also a sisterhood. When we join She Runs It we commit to a practice of lifting up other women. Having her back. Paving the way.

I am so fortunate and grateful to share this community and this mission with so many remarkable women (and men), who live and breathe our intentions every day. I’ve got your back, and thanks for having mine.