by Thembe Khumalo
“Who me?” You might ask. Yes, you!
You’re stealing the future from the next generation of young women professionals by refusing to make yourself visible. Here’s the thing — you can’t be what you don’t see. So if we want our young women to become leaders in business, in entrepreneurship, in politics, or in the community, we need to give them the opportunity to see such people in action — people like you and me. We need to provide them with visible, accessible role models.
Years ago, when I worked as a columnist for NewsDay, I came face to face with the difficulties journalists face when trying to get women to comment on a story, to be interviewed as an expert opinion, or to be profiled as a person worth knowing. The vast majority of women shied away from these opportunities, citing full calendars, busy schedules, and most commonly “I am a very private person” as their reasons.
While a measure of modesty is understandable and perhaps even desirable, a lifelong habit of placing your lamp under a bushel is not really helpful at all. The reason is that it doesn’t just affect you — it affects the generations that follow us. It is in fact, about all the other women whose lives stand to be transformed by your story. If they never get to hear your story, then you’ve stolen their opportunity for transformation.
A few years ago, I was asked to speak at a girls’ high school in celebration of Women’s History Month. After addressing approximately 400 young women who listened intently as my co-presenter and I talked to them about the empowerment of women and the need to recognize their own strengths, I walked away feeling like we had barely scratched the surface. How many of these girl children will make it through high school? How many will go on to be high achievers in business, in science, in academia, in the corporate world, in sport, or anywhere for that matter? How many will fulfill their potential?
Not because this measure of excelling is the only thing that validates their existence, but because women are in fact incredibly useful in all these sectors, and would make a huge impact on society as a whole. Because women are exceptional financial managers. Because women are more successful at reaching consensus on important global issues, across a wide range of disparate views. Because women communicate better than men. Because women handle stress better than men. Because women are able to work longer and harder than men. Because women are better at innovation, have better people skills, are better at strategy development and so much more. It's not that we are in competition against men. Its just that we lose so much goodness when women aren’t included.
If your contribution is valuable, and I believe it is, then why keep it so low key that people start making sweeping generalizations about the dearth of serious, successful professional or business women? Or perhaps the theory is that serious women don’t court publicity? If that was ever true it has certainly changed dramatically over the last decade, as more and more people across the globe understand the importance of building a personal brand. You have to ask yourself: “What is the cost of this choice, or that choice?” The cost of your reticence is that the nation, and indeed the world of young women is poorer!
When you scroll through your local news platforms and will find very little of women’s voices, and women’s stories. You may be tempted to believe that the media itself is guilty of silencing the voices of women, but this is not so. It is women themselves who deliberately hold back, creating the impression that there is really little to be said by them or about them. They don’t want to “put themselves out there”.
When we have something wonderful, we ought to share it. And, as the statistics show, our women are phenomenal in so many ways. We need like to share them with everyone, and particularly with younger women, so they can know what is possible. More importantly, they can know that if it’s possible for anyone, then it’s possible for them too. Don’t shine for yourself, shine for other women.
Thembe Khumalo is one of Zimbabwe’s leading voices when it comes to brand-building, business growth and personal development. A winner of multiple awards both at home and in the region, she is the founder and Managing Director of Brandbuilder, a high-performance brand strategy firm that helps entrepreneurial leaders and SMEs achieve visibility and growth through comprehensive brand strategy, creative execution and social media content strategies. Known for her clarity and courage, Thembe Khumalo’s leadership track record includes board positions in listed, unlisted and not-for-profit entities. With more than 20 years in the media and communication industry, she delivers a network of high-level relationships across many industries in several African countries. | thembekhumalo.com | www.brandtobuild.co | askus@brandtobuild.co
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