Beyond the Private Sector: Girl Scouts - Empowering Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

By Traci Barnett



Keeping in step with the momentous strides women have been making in the business and political arenas during the past two decades, Girl Scouts, the world's largest and oldest organization dedicated solely to the development of girls, has increased its efforts to ensure that its members are poised to take on leadership roles - now and in the future.

The list of successful women who are Girl Scout alumnae, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Sandra Day O'Connor, the nation's first woman Supreme Court Justice; Carol Mosley Braun, the first African-American woman senator; Esmeralda Santiago, author and 1999 Latina of the Year; Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski; and Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, is a testament to the influence the Girl Scout program has in shaping women's lives.

As stated on the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas's web site, CNN's Judy Woodruff said this about her Girl Scout experience: "Girl Scouts offered a wonderful group of girls a place where common concerns and interests could come together. We could learn, be challenged, and support one another. It was a very positive aspect of my life and played an important role in shaping who I am today."

This is the impact Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Gordon Low envisioned for the organization when she created it nearly 100 years ago. She wanted to give girls and young women the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. A woman before her time, Juliette Gordon Low encouraged girls to prepare, not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional women - in the arts, sciences and business - and for active citizenship outside the home.



Girl Scouts Today

Today, Girl Scouts carries on that tradition by preparing girls for the many new opportunities that await them in the arts, sciences, business and politics, both now and for years to come. Girl Scouts has reinvigorated its programs to capture the essence of leadership, to give girls the practical skills they need to be successful leaders in their academic, social, civic and professional pursuits.

Locally, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (GSCM) provides an array of activities and programs - like Engineering Explorations, Advocacy Day, Maryland Girl Scouts Legislative Day, and Business Up! - that help girls discover the possibilities and careers that await them. In that same vein, GSCM hosts two signature events designed to allow girls up-close and personal experiences with women business leaders - the Women's Leadership Forum and the Distinguished Women's Award Reception.

Now in its fourth year, Girl Scouts' Women's Leadership Forum provides a venue through which teenage Girl Scouts and women at every age and stage of their professional careers can have an engaging dialogue with women who are leading businesses or their own companies.

Frances Hesselbein, former head of the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Drucker Foundation, was the Forum's first speaker. Of the many people who came to hear this powerful woman, who stands approximately 4 feet, 11 inches tall, several came forward to tell her the impact she had had on their lives through her books and leadership newsletters, and how grateful they were to finally meet her. It was clear that she embodied her personal philosophy on leadership: "Leadership is matter of how to be, not how to do it; it is the qualities a leader possesses that determines results."

This philosophy is reflective of the way many of today's girls feel about leadership. Today's young women are not interested in command and control leadership tactics. Instead they embrace and seek to emulate leadership that brings people together for a common purpose or goal - leadership, the Girl Scout Research Institute reports, that motivates others and solves problems. Girls today define leadership through the qualities one has - like having a positive attitude, the ability to listen and self-confidence - and the actions one takes.



Shadow Benefits

These qualities are what Girl Scouts see and experience as a Distinguished Woman Honoree "shadow." For nearly 30 years, GSCM has selected five women leaders that are honored for their civic and professional accomplishments. Each leader is then paired with a high school-aged Girl Scout who spends a day on-the-job with her, observing and learning how a woman runs a business, leads and directs her staff and makes decisions while balancing civic and personal responsibilities. The experience is meaningful and enlightening for the Girl Scout. For the Honoree, it reinforces the importance of mentoring in order to prepare the next generation of women leaders.

Laura Black was among the five 2009 Distinguished Women Honorees. Her shadow, Molly Malarkey, had this to say about her experience: "I want to become someone like Mrs. Black, who is highly accomplished and recognized - someone who will make an impact on the world. She empowers women to get wherever they want to go and reach whatever goals they have, big or small.

"Being a part of the Distinguished Women's event has expanded the way I look at my future, and I know from hearing the other shadow girls' speeches I am not the only one who feels that way. Saying that each Honoree provided an educational and fun experience for their shadow would be an understatement. Every one of us grew from our day with our honoree."

This is the model for how the next generation of women leaders will be shaped and molded - through meaningful experiences that help them discover who they are and the possibilities that exist.

Girls today know that real leadership comes from within, and when "done right," the focus is not on the leader but on the success that the leader inspires others to achieve. As world-renowned entrepreneur Bill Gates so adeptly stated, "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others." Girl Scouting, by example, prepares girls to be exactly that kind of leader.



Traci A. Barnett, M.B.A., is chief executive officer for Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. She can be reached at 410-358-9711.