My journey has never been only about me. It has been about opening the way for others to follow, while recognizing that I stand on the shoulders of those who went before me. I stood on the shoulders (very solid shoulders) of the first women military aviators—the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) who flew in World War II. Due to the WASP there are many successful military women aviators today both active duty and retired who continue to follow those first brave female pioneers. This week I’m thinking of #NASA astronaut and naval aviator, Sunita Williams.
WELCOME HOME Suni!!!
Each of us stands on the shoulders of all the women and men in our chosen professions who have come before us, who have blazed a trail. Others have done the hard work, and we must too. Throughout my career, I learned many deepening skills of leadership and was privileged with many opportunities to lead. In flight school, I learned firsthand that I was a role model. I stood out, as I was the only woman in my naval flight officer class. I was watched. I was critiqued. I embraced the experience, sometimes with grace, sometimes not. However, my calling to leadership included the privilege to be the example.
You have the same opportunity and privilege.
Once we have earned our wings and gained experience, it becomes our responsibility to lift the next generation. At one point in my Navy career, I ran the Navy Test Pilot School selection board and the NASA selection board. Fourteen years prior to that, the Navy Test Pilot School selection board had selected me for Test Pilot School, forever changing the trajectory of my career. Four years after graduating from Test Pilot School, the Navy NASA selection board had medically disqualified me based on a positive tuberculosis test.
You win some, you lose some. I always kept pressing forward.
The real point of finding your wings and learning to fly is not only to soar in your own life, but also to lift others up and bring them along with you. We must square our shoulders for those who are coming behind us, so they have a solid base to stand on. We need to seek them out, to support and mentor them, so that they can soar to even greater heights than we have.
Think about it, who do you need to reach out to today? Square your shoulders and get on with it!
Fly high,
Barbara
Want to know more? Or need some coaching guidance? Drop me a line at captainbarbarabell.com and of course check out my book, Flight Lessons: Navigating Through Life’s Turbulence and Learning to Fly High.
#NASA, #SUNIWILLIAMS, #coaching, #mentoring, #veterans, #leadership, #powerfulquestions
Photo by Emile Guillemot on Unsplash
