LEADING THE WAY TO SUCCESS  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 6/5/2008 5:20 PM UTC

  "If I Knew Then..." A Series on Reflections of Wiser Women on their paths to success
  

  Today's interview was the first in this series entitled, "If I Knew Then:" conversations with 25 women turning 65 who were friends in high school. Many are gathering for a girls-only reunion near Bemidji, Minnesota in July. They will be celebrating their shared birthdays as they all turn 65. My guests today on "Leading the Way to Success," were Sara Fritzell Han-han and Diane Plath who are organizing the event.
  
  Before the interview, I check the web and found 1,630,000 hits on "high school reunion." I never realized that reunions are a huge industry with giant firms that will do everything from the invitations to the food and accomodations, to the entertainment. I also looked up reunion psychology and found numerous articles discussing what we more or less know: the fact that some people dread reunions and others can't wait for them to start. The concensus seems to be that the primary reason for attending reunions is Curiosity.
  
  Curiousity as the motivation for attending doesn't play a role-- in my conscious mind at least. I am eager to try out the mature me in reviving old friendships. But even more appealing is the opportunity to create new friendships with others I wasn't as close to--probably because I was too immature and self-absorbed to work at really getting to know them.
  
  Diane and Sara were both in the field of education. Each has been retired for 5 years and now living on a lake. I spoke with them about this big birthday party they are throwing next month--and their worries about having 18 women in a house on the lake with a septic tank. (For those cityfolk who don't know the concept, it's a big problem!) While a concern, their excitement far outweighs the worry.
  
  Then I switched to their journeys from high school to now and what they learned. Diane for years taught preschool, kindergarten and first grade. At this stage of her life, she seemed to feel more tolerant and accepting of others. Her world view is of the great need for people to be treated equally. Sara, whose passion and field was early childhood education, retired as Provost at the University of North Dakota.
  
  When asked about what she learned since high school, she spoke of how, like so many other women, so "fell" into opportunities. However, there were times when she said she felt like an "imposter" because she felt she lacked what was needed to do the job. Interestingly, she distinguished this emotion from a lack of self-confidence which has never been a problem for her. (Because many people, including some seeking Executive Coaching, struggle with a lack of confidence, I think I will ask Sara back to talk just about how she managed to escape this major barrier to success!)
  
  Sara mentioned her mother a couple of times and it made me smile. Stella was one of the brightest, most interesting people I have ever known. She was the original free spirit which included being a great hunter (pheasant) and a State Legislator. One of the pieces of wisdom she gave to Sara contracted the usual spiel from parents and teachers: it is essential for you to have short term and long term goals. Stella's advice was to NOT have long term goals because it closes the door on opportunity!
  
  Next, I asked them as educators to reflect on what we could be doing with the preschoolers to get them started on the path to success. Diane emphasized the need for tolerance and I assume she meant that teachers must model that, too. Sara spoke about the need for playing to the child's intellectual expressions early so that they could develop the breadth and depth of knowledge and mastery needed for success.
  
  As usual, time ran out. I had many more questions for both Sara and Diane. I hope you and they will join me again on "Leading the Way to Success."
  
  • Tags:
  • leadership
  • female leadership
  • executive coaching
  • professional develop
  • growth
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