Mentoring was the order of the day when President Towuanna Porter Brannon met with the Presidential Ambassador team recently.
Selected for the 2022-23 academic year, Kayla Greene, Holli Gubeli, Gabrielle Lawson and Sharena Marsh committed to 10 months of paid service representing the College and leading by example.
The two-hour session covered introductions among the participants who also included two cabinet members -- Vice President of Institutional Advancement Cynthia Callaway and Vice President of Finance and Administration Steven Carpenter.
Dr. Brannon opened by asking cabinet members to share two things they love about being leaders and discuss how someone becomes a leader. Callaway and Carpenter agreed that they most enjoy helping others succeed and develop professionally.
As for growing into leadership roles, they said an individual should:
- Be willing to do more
- Be visible
- Advocate for yourself
- Be willing to move when asked
Dr. Brannon also shared a Ted Talk video titled "Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders" featuring Sheryl Sandberg, former CEO of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), during the Nov. 4 meeting and cited interesting statistics about women as it relates to working outside of the home. She pointed out that women do twice as much housework as men while also having full-time jobs and women perform three times as much childcare as their male spouses. She also noted that success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women. This means women who are successful at work are typically disliked, she added.
The training was well received and Dr. Brannon left the students with several tips:
- Understand leadership is a role not a title
- Know the difference between being smart and wise
- Advocate for yourself
- Read books or watch videos on emotional intelligence
Finally, she advised participants to keep in mind "in your role as a leader, you are always auditioning, you are always being watched and you are always interviewing."