Page 4 - The Leadership Line: March 2024

Personal sacrifices for professional gain?
Wow… great question. My sacrifices when I was the Weapons Integration Product Team Leader were
the greatest. I commuted daily from my home in Laurel Grove to the Joint Program Office in Crystal
City. My daughter was eight when I took that job. I traveled a great deal as we were still in the phases
leading up to source selection, with frequent meetings at Boeing in Seattle, and Lockheed Martin in
Fort Worth. In addition, my team spanned many sites across the Air Force, Navy, and our partner
nations. I was gone a lot. Fortunately, my husband and I could deconflict travel and never left our
daughter with anyone, so she was always with one of us, but looking back on that is still painful.

A lesson in leadership for the ladies.
Own it! Own who you are. We are great leaders who channel our emotional intelligence
exceptionally well. I teach a series of courses I’ve developed entitled “Leadership Matters” that
promotes Servant Leadership and Situational Leadership, which are only enabled by being
emotionally intelligent. I have observed this as coming easier to women. I have also observed women
try to suppress that to be more like men. Nope – don’t do it! Be yourself and genuinely care. To quote
RADM Chet Lemmon, one of my favorite leaders, “Be Passionate, Be Committed, and Care!” Women
do that well!

Final words of wisdom for women, and everyone.
Likeability is a thing, as is credibility. Those two things are a great combination to be successful.
“The likeability factor is comprised of four elements: Friendliness - your ability to communicate
liking and openness to others; Relevance - your capacity to connect with others’ interests, wants,
and needs; Empathy - your ability to recognize, acknowledge, and experience other people’s feelings;
and Realness - the integrity that stands behind your likeability and guarantees its authenticity.” The
reference is “The Likability Factor”, by Bryn C. Conway, MBA, CUDE, principal of BC Consulting,
LLC, July 07, 2021. The likeability factor, combined with being credible at what you do, is an insight I
share in the classes I teach. The combination is powerful.

Next time you see Leslie, please thank her for sharing her keen insight and sage advice that made us
all just a little bit smarter!

Pay Equality

March 12th is Equal Pay Day, a moment to highlight the persistent gender pay gap between men and women and
recommit to fighting for equal pay for all.

What laws govern pay equity in the United States?
Federal laws governing pay equity were first enacted in the early 1960s. The two most notable are:

Equal Pay Act of 1963
This law states that men and women employed at the same business should receive equal pay for
equal work.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII offers broader protections than the Equal Pay Act and prohibits pay discrimination based on
not just gender, but also race, color, religion and nation of origin.