ADVANCE: Montgomery Women's Leadership Digest

March 2023

A Message from Leadership

When our President, Sylvia, asked me to write the leadership column this month, she stumped me. As I thought about what to write, I realized that I have occupied leadership roles since high school, right through being co-president of this wonderful organization with Jennifer Russel until last June. We had both been President before. I never thought much about it. I didn’t think of myself as ‘a leader.’ Do you think of yourself as a leader?

What makes a leader? Countless books and advanced courses have been built around that question. I don’t presume to answer it in this column. At the same time, a few characteristics come to mind.

The first is authenticity. Authenticity comes from a leader being her real self. That means she’s comfortable in her own skin and confident enough to make suggestions rather than issue edicts. She welcomes other suggestions and critiques of her ideas and actions. And she admits when she’s wrong. She relies on the group to help her lead. She has a trust relationship with the members.

Authenticity is the bedrock of the relationships a leader needs to effectively connect with her organization’s members. With those connections, a leader can serve her organization and help it fulfill its promise.

A leader has to be honest and trustworthy. She has to keep her promises and tell the truth. She also has to put her own needs and interests behind those of her group or organization.

Finally, a leader has a vision of where she wants the organization to go. She can articulate the vision and engage the other members in it. She can ‘sell’ it. Her ability to do that relies on her communication skills and the group’s trust in her as a leader with the best interests of the group in mind.

Are leaders born or made? I would argue both. It’s been my experience that one of the best teachers is experience, tempered by introspection and intentionality.

The premise and promise of Montgomery Women is that every woman can develop leadership skills. We welcome you to the opportunities of the organization and look forward to your engagement and contributions.

Yours sincerely,

Tedi Osias

Past President & Current Board Member, Montgomery Women

Member Spotlights

Dana Pauley

President & CEO,

Leadership Montgomery

In July 2021, Dana became the third President & CEO for Leadership Montgomery (LM), a community leadership organization whose mission is to connect and prepare leaders to build thriving and inclusive workplaces and communities. Together with staff and board, Dana leads the organizations’ strategic direction, program development, and day-to-day operations to serve an alumni network of more than 2,500 leaders. She joined LM in 2018 as Vice President for Philanthropic Investments and served as the Interim Executive Director from October 2020 through June 2021. Across her nonprofit career, she has partnered and worked with global companies, foundations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to further collaborative leadership that achieves access, equity, and inclusion.

Jeni Stepanek

President,

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation

Jeni Stepanek, PhD (aka “Mama Peace”) is an award-winning speaker, writer, and peace advocate. She is the author of the NY Times Bestselling book, Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs. Jeni’s inspirational messages about hope, peace, resilience, disability, grief, support, parenting, collaboration, and spirituality have been carried by many media outlets. Jeni is the Founding Chair of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, which was created in 2005 to continue her late son's, peace mission, and currently serves as President of the organization. She developed the “Pathways2Peace” program in 2011 and has created numerous other programs, activities, materials, and events that all further the mission of the Foundation. Her e-Peace Updates, Mama Peace Posts, and Mama Peace Chat sessions have a global following.

Quick Tips

For the Everyday Leader

"Keep the vision of why you want to lead and not least what you want to lead towards. And keep articulating the vision for the work to your staff and partners. That is what makes the difference between a manager and a leader. Ask not first, how can I do this or that, but who can I do it with. Networking, alliance building, and daring to hire people who are better than you, is what is going to get the job done well — and help you rise to and in the C-Suite." – Katja Iversen

Recognize fear and do the hard thing anyway. Success is found outside our comfort zone but is often hindered by the fear of the unknown. Every successful entrepreneur and business leader did what they were afraid to do instead of just letting the fear rule in their personal and professional lives. The best way to overcome fear is to acknowledge that the fear is there but to do the thing that scares you anyway. If you’re too rigid, you could miss one of those serendipitous “aha” moments that could inspire a creative solution or force a different approach.

Have a leadership tip or resource you want to share? Click below.

Share Here

Key Updates

Honoring Women Making History in MoCo

Throughout the month of March, Women's History Month, the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women will recognize outstanding women in the county who are making significant contributions to their vocation and to the community through the annual "Women Making History" campaign. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on this year's history makers.

Join, Renew, Lead: Engaging with Montgomery Women

We have kicked off the 2023 Montgomery Women membership renewal season. If you have not already done so, please go to the Montgomery Women membership page and complete the two-part process, which includes 1) filling out a very brief membership form and 2) selecting your payment option. We also encourage you to send this information along to a personal or professional friend, inviting them to join the organization. Word of mouth is our best recruitment tool!

If you're interested in playing a larger role in Montgomery Women, considering applying for a seat on the Board. Applications are still being accepted through 11:59PM on March 1. To apply, email Jennifer Russel with information about your involvement with Montgomery Women and background information on other leadership positions you’ve held.

We are looking forward to another great year with you in Montgomery Women!