5-17-20
May 17, 2020
Op-ed: Women's leadership in a time of pandemic
By Dr. Nicky Phear and Dr. Christine Fiore
Article originally Published: Missoulian.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given us all a chance to pause, to reconsider our priorities, and to shape new norms for ourselves and expectations of our leaders. This time also gives us all a chance to step up as leaders for the collective good.
One source of inspiration this year has been the Women’s Leadership Initiative. This initiative involves a partnership between the University of Montana and Clearwater Credit Union, focused on a cohort of mid-career women, working on their own professional development and improving conditions for others.
While women make up a majority of college graduates, they are still underrepresented in leadership. Societal biases play out to undercut women’s influence. People (both men and women) internalize messages, even if unintentionally, that women are less competent and not good enough; and yet, over and over again businesses report higher performance when women are represented in leadership.
We see during this pandemic that women are essential workers. Women are more likely be on the front lines as our emergency room nurses and grocery store workers. And even if often underpaid and undervalued, women play a critical role in keeping our country running and taking care of those most in need.
At the same time, women leaders around the world are being touted for their clarity, their decisiveness, and their empathy. Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, has been praised for her open communications motivating people to act for the collective good. Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, was among the first and the fastest responders. What are the leadership lessons we can learn from women?
This past year the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) has provided a chance to elevate the value women in leadership provide for our collective benefit. Among this year’s WLI cohort:
• Alison Pepper provides sexual assault prevention education to students;
• Amy Kinch builds organizational resilience;
• Erika Sylvester develops financial independence and stability in our community;
• Jasmine Laine champions employee development;
• Jeanne Loftus internationalizes education;
• Jennifer Bell mentors female physical therapy students;
• Ke Wu creates STEM education pathways for minoritized people and communities;
• Melissa Neidigh supports essential student needs;
• Rachel Maki builds community partners to bolster Clearwater’s impact;
• Rachel Severson engages children with research at the Missoula Public Library;
• Sara Rinfret trains the next generation of public policy experts; and,
• Twila Old Coyote empowers Native youth.
What can we learn from these women? These women engage through inspiration, by aligning others with meaning and purpose, and transforming people’s beliefs about their own potential. These women empathize rather than command; they establish an emotional connection with those they lead. These women elevate others by mentoring and developing the talent of others. These women are humble; they are able to assess their own performance, and thus able and willing to learn from experience.
In a time of pandemic, developing networks of women as leaders should be among our top priorities. WLI was fortunate to have women community leaders contribute through donated time to education and discussions: Brenda Solorzano, Carol Williams, Chelsea Bodnar, Chris Melching, Denise Grills, Glenda Bradshaw, Heather Cahoon, Joyce Hocker, Julie Wolter, Kim Shappee and Marcy Allen, among others. These generous offerings expanded the networks and minds of our cohort members.
As we invite members of the UM and Clearwater community to apply to be a part of the 2020-2021 WLI cohort, we consider how additional leadership opportunity might be extended into the community. Information about the Women’s Leadership Initiative and applications can be found here: umt.edu/womens-leadership-initiative.
Dr. Nicky Phear is the Women's Leadership Initiative program director at the University of Montana. Dr. Christine Fiore is the WLI faculty advisor and lead coach at the University of Montana.