Who Do You Want to Be? What Mentors are Asking Girls - Part 2
Earlier this summer I wrote about why, when launching a mentorship platform to bring young girls directly into boardrooms, I named it Être (French for to be). I explained that not only do I love asking today's girls who they want to be...but I love it when women in senior roles at Billboard, CBS, Goldman Sachs, Google, Morgan Stanley, NBCUniversal, Nasdaq, NYSE, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube and more look the next gen squarely in the eye and ask the same question.
As a follow-up piece on Labor Day 2024, here are six new versions of what mentors are hoping girls - and the moms, coaches and cool aunts reading over their shoulders - keep in mind as we all head back to classrooms, locker rooms and boardrooms.
Be the girl...
who is brave enough to say the answer out loud. The whole say-the-answer-in-your-head as someone else voices it aloud thing? We're over it. Whether in the classroom, the locker room or the boardroom this year - when you know the answer, say it; when you have a fresh idea, raise it; and when you think up a winning strategy, bring it. No one can catch you when you have original ideas plus the courage to speak them out loud.
they call unstoppable. Because that's what they'll call you when you have bold ideas and the bravery to bring them forward. Read what paralympian Anastasia Pagonis has said about other "unstoppable" blind swimmers and check out her new line of painted goggles, or listen to what Sara Blakely said last week when she launched an epic break-the-mold sneaker. Ideas that meet the moment in an unexpected way are unstoppable.
who inspires the next girl. Role models like these have impact and, indeed, no one is too young to inspire the next girl. Look to paralympians like 13-year-old Iona Winnifrith, swimming the 200m individual medley who cites Ellie Simmonds as her role model because she claimed gold at exactly the same age. Or Bly Twomey, the 14-year-old para table tennis phenom who just won doubles bronze alongside her role model Fliss Pickard.
who trusts her talent. How do girls like those mentioned above succeed? They trust their talent and their preparation. Then they pass it on. Consider 17-year-old wheelchair tennis star Maylee Phelps, who says on her website she wants to "show girls like her that anything is possible, if you just keep pushing."
whose mettle wins medals. Does this mean that girls should strive and push only to earn medals? Not at all. Role models who demonstrate grit and mettle are doing it for much more than gold, silver or bronze. Remember what Simone Biles told young girls last month or what Angela Duckworth told them in The Epic Mentor Guide? Grit and mettle matter for the larger picture, not just the roar on one podium.
whose confidence is louder than the crowd. Ever wonder how these olympians, paralympians, philosophers and founders stay so focused in the face of screaming fans? You guessed it - confidence. Developed slowly with the help of teammates and teachers, and cultivated quietly from within, it's the loudest thing they hear.
As we approach fall, who do I want girls to be?
Girls whose inner confidence deftly drowns out everything else.
Because women know that gearing up to say the answer out loud is hard - whether you are sitting in a classroom, pacing in a locker room or standing in a boardroom.
Reminding yourself to trust your talent, remember your prep, and center yourself so that quiet confidence is the loudest thing you hear takes courage.
And mentors, at every age, can help.
Let's all stay connected this fall and help girls see everything they someday want to be.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three more back-to-school quotes from leaders in The Epic Mentor Guide you won't want to miss: what Nike's Julie Langford said about STEM skills, what Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Danielle Geathers said about running for student government, and what Lydia Fenet said about walking confidently into any room.
