Written by: Jessica Larson, Development & Communications Manager at Girls in the Game
“Girls need support, they need to feel that someone believes in them and they need to see the kinds of opportunities that exist for them.”
-Dawn Kobel, Director of Development and Communications at Girls in the Game
There is a lot of discussion on social media about how we can get more girls to strive for leadership roles and seem themselves as leaders. In my opinion, the answer is very simple. Let them practice.
Over this past month, I had the privilege of taking groups of our Teen Squad girls out to Leader to Leader interviews throughout Chicago. We visited companies in a variety of industries, from engineering to wealth management, sports marketing to law. What struck me the most was how our girls took the lead.
During Leader to Leader Interviews, we encourage the teens to lead the interview with industry leaders. We provide a script to help guide the interview. The guide includes get-to-know-you games and icebreakers with pre-assigned roles for each teen.
Before meeting with the panelists, the teens brainstorm questions to ask based upon the panelists’ bios. We want the girls to feel as prepared in comfortable in the interview as possible. Our main goal is to prepare them for future important meetings.
“I felt like I was connected to a group of unique, powerful, and motivational women who are great role models for anyone, including myself and the girls. I wanted to be act as the bridge between these women and these girls.” — Bradley, Girls in the Game participant [about leader to leader].
As anyone knows, meetings and interviews never go quite as planned. Sometimes we have panelists join or drop off last minute. Other times the room isn’t conducive to the games and activities planned. At first, I watched the girls start to squirm a bit in their chairs, glancing with wide eyes at the other teens in the room. When difficulties occur, you can see the “what am I supposed to do now?” question on the tip of their tongue. They sit across from the expectant panelists and an awkward silence falls on the room. At that moment, it takes everything in me NOT to jump in. All my instincts are screaming at me to stand up from my seat to help them improvise. But, I don’t. This is the moment where learning and growing happens. This is when our teens learn how to problem-solve for themselves and take charge in a room full of adults.
By the end, I watched with pride as our Juniors and Seniors stepped up to the plate with pure confidence. They were comfortable going off-script and asking unplanned follow-up questions. They gave the adult panelists instructions for the games with confidence. They didn’t stutter when they had to improvise in weird spaces or when directions that didn’t quite work. They even learned how to redirect conversations when someone started to get a bit off topic.
They took charge in real and practical ways. They grew over the course of participating in Leader to Leader interviews. The older teens even became examples to the Freshman and Sophomore participants, who weren’t quite comfortable yet.
When you want girls to be and see themselves as leaders, find ways to get them comfortable in leadership activities. Leadership skills develop the same way that a basketball player perfects their jump shot or a golfer works on their swing. By practicing. Creating muscle memory. There’s no way to know if you will be good at something until you do it again and again.
It was truly a privilege to watch our teens, of all ages, practice their leadership skills this April.
