WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM AMY KLOBUCHAR THE SENATOR NEXT DOOR

                  Women's Leadership Lessons From Amy Klobuchar

                                          The Senator Next Door

Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to be elected as a senator for Minnesota.

She previously served as the county attorney for Hennepin County, the most populous county in Minnesota. She was a legal adviser to former Vice President Walter Mondale. She has been named by The New York Times as one of the seventeen women most likely to become the first female President of the United States, and by MSNBC and The New Yorker as a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, The American Prospect named her a "woman to watch," and Working Mother Magazine named her as "Best in Congress" for her efforts on behalf of working families. She received an award from the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) for her work to fight sexual assault in the military, and the Disabled American Veterans honored her work to improve the lives of America’s veterans.

Born in Plymouth, Minnesota, Klobuchar is the daughter of Rose Katherine (née Heuberger), who retired at age 70 from teaching second grade, and  James John "Jim" Klobuchar, an author and a retired sportswriter and columnist for the Star Tribune. Jim Klobuchar's grandparents were Slovene  immigrants and his father whose first job, at 15, was a teamster delivery driver and later a miner on the Iron Range; Amy's maternal grandparents were from Switzerland.

Klobuchar attended public schools in Plymouth and was valedictorian at Wayzata High School. She received her bachelor's degree magna cum laude  in political science from Yale University in 1982, where she was a member of the Yale College Democrats and the Feminist Caucus.

She's recently written a book, "The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland," in which she shares her life and leadership lessons learned with all of us.

Listen in as she shares with us about the day, while in the fourth grade, when she chose to be the first girl to wear pants ( "my mod, multicolored flowered pants") to school. Yes, you read that right!

 

Do you remember your first Mrs. Quady?  How about the first time you chose to take a stand on an issue?  Did it make a difference?  Who were your mentors?  What lessons did they teach you?  How are you passing them on?

 

"The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland" is a fascinating read and a real page turner in and of itself but in it Amy shares some great leadership lessons for Teamster women!  Enjoy!

 

 

Everyday is a challenge!

You can't do it all, do your best!

Don't lose touch with your purpose.

Obstacles become the path, be resilient.

Spend time with people, find a way to get along - seek common ground, seek solutions.

When there are problems, you have to identify them and confront them.

Take on the big things but continue to work on midsize and small things.

Negativity is a turn off!

Get involved locally, right where you are.

Mentoring makes a difference!

Take time to learn.

Crazy stuff happens, find the joy and humor in it.

It's a privilege to serve people.

 

  

 

I think you'll also enjoy this "Off the Sidelines" discussion!

 

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speaks with Senator Amy Klobuchar about her new memoir The Senator Next Door. (video 45 minutes)

Off the Sidelines discussion with Amy Klobuchar!


RESOURCES:

http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/


http://offthesidelines.org/about/

                 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A WOMAN LEADER?

 

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A WOMAN LEADER?

 

 

Have you ever asked that question? Does your local have women who lead? Would you like to see more women lead? Are you ready to lead?

Here's a panel discussion from The American Association of University Women (AAUW) national convention. The AAUW strives to promote equity and education for woman and girls. Since it's founding in 1881 members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental educational, social, economic, and political issues of the day.

What does it take to make a woman leader? That was the question moderator Marianne Schnall and panelists Noorjahan Akbar, Kate Farrar, Lilly Ledbetter, and Don McPherson attempted to answer during this plenary session. Enjoy!

 

 

MAKE TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS

 

MAKE TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS

 

 

 Free Webinar:   Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Date: October 15, 2015
Time: Noon−1 p.m. (CST)
Register: Online Registration

"If I had 60 minutes to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes defining it, and 5 minutes solving it." Albert Einstein

A well-stated problem is a half-solved problem. One of the biggest challenges of solving problems is being clear about what you are trying to accomplish. You need to be able to define the issue in such a way that easily understood by others. To do this, you have to think critically—slowing down your thinking and challenging your assumptions by asking hard questions.

Learning objectives

• Identify types of questions and when to use each type.
• Wording questions to effectively engage others in problem identification.
• Identifying and clarifying the problem.

Your Instructor
Nan Gesche, MA, is a consultant and trainer who guides organizations and individuals through transition while focusing on their strategic goals. Her independent consulting projects include working with diverse organizations on projects such as strategic planning, strategic learning, and transition management, as well as working with individuals on career coaching. Nan is currently an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota, teaching small group communications. She graduated with a BA in economics from the University of North Dakota, and received her master's in organizational communications and a professional certificate in Training & Development from the University of Minnesota. She also is qualified to administer and train in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Creatrix−an innovation assessment, and the CAS Change System.


Online Registration:  http://request.cce.umn.edu/Default.aspx?web_display_code=problem

 

 

 

READY TO LEAD?

                      READY TO LEAD?

According to a recent report by the Institute of Women's Policy Research, last year 45% of all union members were women yet women still aren't as likely as men to hold leadership roles in our unions.  Our unions reflect the gender gap in leadership roles just as American organizations and corporations do as a whole.

So what can Teamster women do about it?  Is there a woman's way to lead?  Should we lean in?  Are we "sisters in the brotherhood?"  Why do we still have to talk about it?  Do we really have to work twice as hard?  Is there room enough for us?  Is it worth it?  Is she really doing that?  Are women the new face of unions?  Can we talk about it?  How can we help each other?

I hope you are honored and just as proud as I am to be a Teamster. Our union founders believed in and called for "equal pay for equal work" decades before many other organizations, even before women gained the right to vote.  Building on those progressive values is what makes our union strong.  I'm starting this conversation series "Ready To Lead" to share and think about leadership.  I believe strong Teamster women make Teamsters stronger! 

Here's something to think about...

Do gender stereotypes create bias against women?

 

Have you ever felt someone underestimated you or your performance?  Or, a time when you underestimated another?  Why do you think this happened?

Shelly Correll, Professor, Stanford University shares;

WAYS GENDER STEREOTYPES CREATE BIAS AGAINST WOMEN
     -creates a harsher standard for women
     -their performance is more heavily scrutinized
     -can lead us to doubt women's expertise
     -required to repeatedly prove their competence
     -shifts the criteria used to evaluate women in order to justify a more stereotypical
      decision
     -creates a backlash for women who do not meet our stereotypical expectations

SIX STRATEGIES TO REDUCE BIAS
     -educate yourself and decision makers on bias raising awareness
     -establish clear criteria in advance of making decisions
     -scrutinize the criteria being used, do they unintentionally screen out certain candidates?
     -hold decision makers and yourself accountable
     -be transparent in progress towards goals
     -vouch for the competence of all women, especially women leaders

What are your key takeaways from this video?

What actions will you take?

"Some leaders are born women."
Geraldine Ferraro, Diplomat, U.S. Representative, Women's Rights Activist, Lawyer (1935–2011)

On July 12th, 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first female vice-presidential candidate in the history of the United States.

Geraldine A. Ferraro died on March 26, 2011, at the age of 75, in Boston, Massachusetts. In a statement released shortly after her death, her family said, "Geraldine Anne Ferraro Zaccaro was widely known as a leader, a fighter for justice, and a tireless advocate for those without a voice. To us, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, a woman devoted to and deeply loved by her family. Her courage and generosity of spirit throughout her life waging battles big and small, public and personal, will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed."

 

 

TEAMSTER WOMEN WORKING, HELPING, EDUCATING, ACHIEVING TOGETHER!

 

Teamster women from all over will be gathering at this years women's conference in Boston. As the excitement builds we thought we would take a look back. Check it out sisters!

From the archives;

In November 1986 the Teamsters’ Conference on Women in the Workplace was held in Dallas, Texas. The purpose of the conference was to focus on the special needs of women workers in general and Teamster women in particular. In the fall of 1991 a group of Teamster women from the U.S. and Canada formed the International Teamster Women’s Caucus (ITWC). The purpose of the Women’s Caucus was two-fold. It provided women members the opportunity to become more involved in the workings of the IBT at all levels and it served as a channel of communication and education between Teamster women and IBT leaders.
 
In Las Vegas, May 19-21, 2000. More than 700 women came together to share ideas, careers, problems and plans for the future! This year's conference was particularly successful due to the participation of a large number of rank-and-file members, many of whom came at their own expense.

"I would like to say that some people just dream of success. Others wake up and work hard for it. Let’s work together to empower Teamsters Women!"
Cheryl L. Johnson
Assistant to the General President, IBT.


"For the very first time in my life, I found kindred spirits, women who shared my feelings, my struggles, my triumphs. I have since returned to the monthly meetings in my local. Where I had once felt uneasy and out of place, now I feel welcome and happy. We've come a long way, baby!"

Benita Cardinali , a dump truck driver and member of Local Union 282 from Farmingdale, New York.

 2005 in Niagra Falls, Canada.

"The sisterhood in the Teamsters is strong and thriving and an important intricate part of our union. I am proud not only to be a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters but the "Sisterhood" as well. I can't stress enough the benefits of participating and the importance of being active, committed members plays in the future of our union. Get involved! It's YOUR Union! And thanks to Al and Larry for getting us all home safely through that horrendous snowstorm!"

Terri M. Sharpe Local 507, Park 'n Fly, Inc.
( Local 507 Teamster newsletter Fall issue 2005)

2006 in Phoenix, AZ more than 750 Teamster women attend.

We stand on the shoulders of GIANTS sisters! And YES, we've come a long way, baby!

RESOURCES

https://library.gwu.edu/ead/ibt0015.xml

http://old1.teamster.org/women/johnson1.htm

http://www.teamsterslocal507.com/newsletters/Fall-2005.pdf