A few months ago, I had the absolute privilege to participate on a panel with some Women in Telecom (WIT) rockstars that included:
- A CEO who set the example of how to gracefully and tactfully deal with a cyber incident; I am still in awe of her composure and sincerity as she updated customers and directed her staff.
- Our very own WIT member, Rhonda Goddard. Not only a CFO extraordinaire but also a PILOT!!! Are you kidding me?!!?!
- A think-outside-the-box entrepreneur who leads her company under the banner of female and Native American-owned, as a top-tier vendor in the industry.
- One of our leading WIT members, Carri Bennet, a David battling the Goliaths in telecom long before we had an official WIT delegation.
- And me … the fluff in the middle of this Oreo.
As I prepared for this panel, I had the chance to think about a lot of things: my upbringing, my first venture into the workforce in high school, lessons learned, a few regrets and big decisions along the way. I reminisced about my grandmother, born in 1924, and raised during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression in the Oklahoma Panhandle to farming pioneers. Working for room, board and a small wage, she excelled through college and began a lifelong career as a teacher. Widowed with a five-month-old baby, she went on to meet my grandfather and overcame so much in her life. What an example she set for me, and when I think of all that she “juggled” as a working mother, wife, and teacher, plus all the community roles she filled, including a side hustle selling World Book Encyclopedias (for our young WIT members, this is what we used before Google to find information and before ChatGPT to write our term papers); I am truly thankful for her influence and grateful that I was not born in pioneer times because certainly I would have been kicked off the back of the wagon and left behind.
So where am I headed with this? Matthew Kelly states in his book, "The Culture Solution" that, “Values are what animate the culture every day. The word, animate, is really important to our conversation. It comes from the Latin word anima, which means ‘breath,’ ‘soul,’ or more literally, ‘to bring life.’”
All of these ladies mentioned above have this in common: they live and lead by their values - well-defined, non-negotiable, guiding decisions at work and at home. Things like: doing the right thing; respect; putting people first; integrity; and having fun! So, what are your values? Everyone has them, good or bad. I challenge you to take some time to think about yours and write them down. I keep my personal values here on my desk, and our company values posted close by, with a goal to live them enthusiastically and put them into play each day. Some days are easier than others, but values will point you in the right direction, make hard decisions clearer, and most importantly, bring life to you and your organization.
These blogs are brought to you by NTCA Women in Telecom, a program dedicated to empowering women in the telecommunications industry. To learn more about the program, connect with the WIT community, or explore opportunities for involvement, visit ntca.org/wit.