This Spring, I had the privilege of attending the annual Simmons Leadership Conference for the first time. The virtual sessions may have looked different than a traditional conference center setting; still, the sessions were as jam-packed with truth, wisdom, and encouragement as I imagine they have ever been. This year’s theme was Resilience & Authenticity, and it was an honor to hear and learn from the distinguished presenters. My hands flew across the keyboard taking notes and collecting gems from each of the speakers. Today I’d like to share a few of my key takeaways as I unpack the many lessons from this year’s conference.
Tiffany Dufu
Tiffany Dufu, author of Drop the Ball, was our first presenter of the morning and wasted no time kicking off a day full of wisdom. In her remarks, she shared her thoughts about the “unspoken job descriptions” that we often find ourselves taking on as we navigate the various roles in our lives. A “good mother” does a,b,c, and a “good employee” does x,y,z. A “good daughter” behaves like [fill in the blank], and a “good wife” fulfills [full in the blank] obligations.
How often, Tiffany asked, do we take a step back and review these invisible job roles and determine which areas of those lists consist of things we actually placed there intentionally? Forget what the peanut gallery has to say about who you “should” be—who do you want to be? She challenged all of us to take inventory of the different roles we step into each day and determine how we can bring authenticity into areas of our lives we may not have previously considered.
Tererai Trent
You would be hard-pressed to find a speaker as dynamic and engaging as Tererai Trent. From the moment she began, her presentation felt more like spoken word poetry than a traditional lecture. Her eloquence in sharing her story was breathtaking. She spoke about the proverbial batons that have been passed down from generation to generation. From grandmother to mother, mother to daughter, we pass along life experiences, perspectives, and norms, both positive and negative.
Tererai relayed her experience of growing up without access to education and being “handed the batons” of poverty and lack of education. She was determined to drop those batons and not hand them off to future generations. She taught herself to read from her brother’s school books and has gone on to build a global foundation whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education.
Her challenge for each of us was to determine what batons we are currently running with that we need to drop and seek out the batons we want to pick up. Her story of resilience illustrated that we all have fire enough within us to plant the dreams we have for ourselves and get to work making them happen, growing and flourishing despite the obstacles we may face.
Panel: Unpacking Authenticity at Work
What does it mean to be authentic in the workplace? The answer to this question can be elusive; however, the panelists helped to light the path forward during this session. Not only did they share their own experiences in finding and using their authentic voice, but they also shared the rewards that come from facing down the challenge of developing an authentic voice. This discussion resonated with my core belief that each person has a valuable story, perspective, and set of experiences that are desperately needed at the table. When we silence authentic voices, we lose out on deep wells of wisdom that are desperately needed.
Panel: Unpacking Resilience at Work
The events of the past year have impacted everyone; women have felt some of these impacts in keenly different ways as many of us step into the role of employee, care-taker, keeper-of-the-home, virtual teacher, and more — simultaneously! With the widespread adoption and almost overnight transition to virtual environments, women can find themselves spinning more and more plates without a road map. The panelists unpacked some of the challenges they’ve faced during the last year and how they’ve moved through them with grit, grace, and resilience. Hearing the voices of other women who understand the unique challenges we face felt like a booster shot of encouragement and camaraderie. It can be easy to feel isolated, distant, and alone in our experiences. This panel illustrated that we are not alone in facing these challenges and reminded us that our networks are our most valuable asset in buoying us up along the way.
Jenna Bush Hager & Mindy Kaling
This final session was one that I expected to be a “light and fluffy” closer, a cherry on top of the Simmons Sundae to close out the conference. I was entirely wrong. This conversation with Jenna Bush Hager and Mindy Kaling was one of the highlights of my day and was an incredible witness of authenticity.
Jenna opened the session recounting some of her experiences growing up in the public eye and finding her own path as an individual. Being authentic takes resilience! It is not easy to navigate sharing your voice when it may not align with others in your circle. Staying true to yourself while learning and growing will ultimately attract other authentic individuals to your tribe, and the journey of growing in authenticity and resilience is infinitely worth it.
As a complement to Jenna’s story, Mindy shared her experience of joining the NBC writing room as a 23-year old woman of color. She shared how she felt the invisible weight of representing womankind and how that pressure, at times, would psych her out of using her voice authentically. Many parts of her story mirrored my own, and I found myself saying, “YES!” aloud to my computer screen as I listened. They were the perfect pair to close out our time at Simmons.
Resilience and authenticity could not have been a perfect message in light of everything we have all walked through in the past year. Learning from and being encouraged by these women gave me an added dose of wisdom and strength that has left me with an extra bounce in my step. If I can leave you with my final thoughts from the conference, they are these: You are not on this walk alone. You have grace, grit, and resilience within you. Find your voice, link arms with your tribe, and let go of the “batons” and “job descriptions” that don’t align with your vision.