‘When Wise Women Lead,’ advocacy and action follow

Years ago, at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Debra Hammond met a young colleague just starting out in higher education. Today, Franklin Ellis said, his trajectory to the position of associate dean and director of Furman’s Center for Inclusive Communities started with Hammond’s friendship and encouragement.

“It was a wise woman who led me to where I am today,” said Ellis, who brought Hammond to Furman during Women’s History Month to share her perspectives on leadership at the intersection of gender and race.

Hammond, executive director of CSUN’s University Student Union, has more than 40 years of experience as a leader in higher education and serves on the faculty of CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. She’s received several leadership honors and been on many nonprofit boards. Her CLP presentation, “When Wise Women Lead,” borrowed its title from a poem by Jan Phillips.

“When a wise woman leads, she calls a circle and makes a space for stories to be shared, hopes to be uttered, revelation to unfold,” recited Hammond. “When a wise woman leads, she leads from stillness – where she gathers herself, mines her experience and turns her wisdom into story.”

One of the traits of wise woman leaders – particularly women of color – is the ability to unlearn some of the things they have been taught, including deflecting praise, Hammond said.

“We say words like, ‘That was nothing,’ or ‘No big deal,’” she said. “We’ve often been taught to be humble, and there’s nothing wrong with an appropriate amount of humility, but that humility has to be coupled with an appropriate amount of self-love, self-acceptance and self-worth.”

‘Go out and get busy’

An anecdote from early in Hammond’s career illustrated the importance of self-advocacy. After noticing she was getting paid less than she expected based on her expertise and the responsibilities of her position, she brought the issue up with her human resources department. The initial results were discouraging.

“I was starting to suffer a little bit of impostor syndrome,” she said. “I started to doubt my accomplishments and felt like they were paying me less because maybe I wasn’t as competent or capable. I had this internal war going on inside of me.”

Despite her doubts, “I knew the only way out of this was to walk through it,” Hammond said. “I had to employ the four W’s and a D: What would a wise woman do? She would consult, she would consider, she would research, she would reflect, she would self-advocate and she would take action.”

After a persistent series of letters and meetings, she soon received a full paycheck, followed up by back payments. The incident was pivotal in how she handled future difficult situations, she said.

“If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it,” she said, quoting Dale Carnegie. “Go out and get busy.”

Understanding the ‘why’

Other experiences taught Hammond more valuable lessons, such as maintaining composure, relying on previous learning, collaborating and asking for help when needed, and embracing uncomfortable change.

“Wise women are comfortable being a little bit uncomfortable,” she said. “We will always be responsive change makers, focusing on producing quality while also taking care of hearts.”

Most critically, said Hammond, a wise woman who leads focuses on her “why.”

“Why have you been chosen to lead? Why do you want to do this? What’s your inspiration? What motivates you? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What’s your purpose of being here on the Earth?” she asked. “Once you understand your ‘why,’ the ‘how’ and ‘what’ become so much easier.”