Who Do You Want to Be? What Mentors are Asking Girls.
Être, in French, means “to be,” and my favorite question to ask any rising leader is: Who do you want to be?
It’s why in 2016 I named the girls’ mentorship platform I launched Être (imagine my lawyerly delight when I found I could trademark a French verb), and it’s why so many pages of our website from day one have keyed off that idea: #BeSmart, #BeWi$e, #BeConnected, #BeInformed, #BeInnovative, #BeStrong and more.
Over the last eight years this mantra has grown right alongside us, so here are six new screensaver-worthy versions of what mentors are asking, and advising, today's girls.
Be the girl…
who raises her hand instead of lowering her standards. This came from the first article I ever published in HuffPost back in 2017, and it’s probably the piece of advice I give most often. Whether it’s to ask a question, to volunteer your time, to applaud what you support, protest what you disavow or simply to help the next girl – raise your hand and never, ever lower your standards.
who steps out of the crowd and up to the mic. Watch any girl take a deep breath, blow imaginary bangs off her forehead and raise her chin to the spotlight, and you will see courage. That is what our fourth season of TED-Ed Talks is teaching us – with young speakers participating in seven countries and mentors across industries signing up to help.
who sets the bar high and clears it. With women’s sports having more than a moment, role models like Yaroslava Mahuchikh are showing girls how to set the bar high and break world records when its cleared. Want more? Watch Dawn Staley’s recent ESPYS speech talking about what the next gen can be.
who is in the booth and someday on the ballot. As summertime swirls with ticket talk and conventions convene, one thing is certain: first-time voters matter. Teaming up with i am a voter to help get new voters registered and ready, we have our eyes squarely on the future.
who is leaping in the footsteps of leaders. What kind of leaders? Think women at NYSE and NASDAQ explaining market forces, astronauts commenting on the eclipse as they float aboard the ISS, and Olympians and Paralympians readying themselves for Paris. Stay tuned for new footsteps to leap into this fall!
who is unafraid of her fearsome potential. Well, that’s the ballgame, isn’t it? Unafraid and awesomely confident – just as our 2024 research on the current state of girls’ confidence shows us. Our favorite stat in the survey? That 91% of girls say that higher confidence is directly related to mentorship. Nine out of ten.
Who do I want girls to be?
Unapologetically themselves.
And armed with epic mentors at an early age – mentors who will throw open boardroom doors at cool companies and say ask me anything, it’s your meeting – girls have a better chance than ever to become everything they want to be.
Looking forward,
Illana
Êxtras: Three links related to these mantras you won’t want to miss: Regarding leaping into the footsteps of leaders, a throwback to Être’s interview with Luvvie Ajayi Jones; for more about what to do even if you are too young to vote, another blast from the past from Être in HuffPost; and for more about fearsome potential and our 2024 Confidence Research, this fast but info-packed article.
