An Extraordinary Woman

I had the pleasure yesterday of attending the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Women on the Move Leadership Day yesterday. There was one excellent speaker after another, but the one that left me feeling so inspired was Dr. Condaleeza Rice. Of course she is a brilliant former Secretary of State, and a current faculty member at Stanford. Her professional accomplishments are a mile long- and don’t forget she is a concert pianist and was the first woman to join Augusta- because she is also a world class golfer. How can one person be amazing at so many things?

But her accomplishments were not what was amazing about her talk. It was the points she made- about what it takes to be successful, and also what the world needs right now- that were so incredibly on point. Here are some observations:

1. In a world full of polarized hyperbole, Condi (she asked the interviewer to call her Condi, so I am going to do that too!) is as genteel a lady as you will ever see. She doesn’t have a crude or abrasive bone in her body- but she is as tough and professional as anyone on the planet. It is a joy to witness that level of gracefulness, and the world needs her example in this.
2. She talked a lot about her upbringing and her parents- which she wrote a book about called “Extraordinary, Ordinary People”. It is now on my reading list! She was raised in segregated Birmingham, Alabama and her parents (and grandparents) were exceptionally focused on education- which was the key to success for her and for others in her family. As a society we would do well to take note. She commented that, in her view the biggest security risk to our nation is the poor K-12 education, which is really saying something- and should be a focus for all of us (note that she mentioned school choice, charter schools and vouchers as a potential solution).
3. “Be twice as good” was one main lesson from her parents. She said they didn’t say this in the sense of “the world is unfair so isn’t it too bad that you have to be twice as good”, but rather they sent the message that if you have higher standards for yourself than anyone else would have for you, you will succeed. She talked about the “soft bigotry of low standards” that unfortunately exists in this world- and she isn’t having any of it. Her students are so fortunate that she has high standards, for herself and for them!
4. “There are no victims” was the other message her parents instilled in her. She is a problem solver and looks for ways over, around or through obstacles. She commented that if she were waiting for a “role model” who looked like her (ie, a black woman) to blaze a trail for her in the area of being a Soviet specialist, she would still be waiting. She dismissed the notion that we need people to be like us to teach us as the height of arrogance- because people of all shapes, sizes, ages and colors can be helpful mentors. It is about what people know and their character that is important.

What a breath of fresh air. Condaleeza Rice is an excellent role model for all Americans, and is certainly someone that is worthy of admiration. At a time when there is much to be done in our country to bridge divisions, and to solve some pretty fundamental problems (such as poor education for our children), Dr. Rice’s message, that there is no obstacle that can’t be overcome, is a critical one.