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Role Models: Why Women Need Themor: What Would Angelina Do?by Suzann Kale
We can do it - succeed in a chosen career, rebuild a home after a hurricane, combat depression, leave an abusive partner, write that novel, raise our kids by ourselves, raise our kids with a partner, change careers in mid-life, lose weight, recover from illness, have our prayers heard, die with grace, live with joy in our hearts, learn a language, Someone to Light the WayOne of the most important elements in accomplishing our goals is a role model. We need someone who's gone before us to light the way. Someone we can learn from, observe, study, and copy. That doesn't mean this role model has to be perfect. It just means we copy the attributes that we like, and we disregard the attributes that don't serve us. "Women want to see reflections of themselves in academia and their chosen profession," says Erika Hayes James, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia.1 Learning from the Patterns in Other Women's LivesRole models can be contemporary women whose lives we follow through books, the Internet, and the press. They can be historical people; imaginary guides; spiritual figures; talking animals; your favorite movie star; a character from a book. The important factor is that you admire and trust them, and that you can have a conversation with them in your mind. If your role model is a real person, you can collect pictures of her for a collage or inspiration book. If she's imaginary or inaccessible in some way, you can talk with her in your journal, through letter writing (you write both sides of the conversations), through visualization, by daydreaming. (continued below) |
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We can do it. But most of us can't do it alone. A role model is a companion, a trusted partner, a teacher, a mentor, a friend to laugh with, a guide to push us in the right direction. "Women applicants to B-school [business school] need to see patterns in the lives of the other women who have come through the school's doors," says Erin Cochrane, regional director of development at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. "Students say they look to role models to get a sense of how they can navigate both school and the job search."2 And you aren't limited to just one role model. You can have as many or as few as you need. Why not make a list right now, of people who could be role models in your life? Footnotes 1 What Women MBAs Want: Role Models by Francesca Di Meglio, from Business Week online 2 Ibid 
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