Today, Girl Scouts of the United States of America opens its 100th Anniversary Convention in Houston. 15,000 girls, adult volunteers, celebrity guests, and friends are all converging on Texas to move girls and women's leadership into its next century. It is an impressive sight to behold as girls from every state, every background turn the city green!
Pipelines -- they are so very important, especially for women.
In my career, I have frequently been the only woman in room, or on the executive committee, looking to grow the ranks of women in senior leadership, as CEOs, and on boards. But when the inevitable question is asked: "Why are there so few women,” invariably the answer comes back, "because there are not enough qualified women in the pipeline." And since it does seem to be true that men are often promoted on their POTENTIAL, and women only on their PERFORMANCE, it is indeed crucial to fill the management and leadership pipelines with high-achieving, high-performing, wise and strategic women who are used to exercising their leadership muscles.
And, this is where Girl Scouts comes in. It is the ultimate pipeline for women leaders.
For the past 100 years, Girl Scouts has been training girls of "courage, confidence, and character," to "discover, connect, and take action to make the world a better place." And if that isn't leadership, I don't know what is.
Walk into any group of women leaders - in boardrooms, C-Suites, Congress, and philanthropy - somewhere between 65 and 85 percent of the women present will have been Girl Scouts. And they will credit having been a Daisy, Brownie, or Girl Scout for some of their success. In fact, there are over 50 MILLION living Girl Scout alumnae in this country as best as we can tell. And they are leading in their families, their communities, their organizations, and their country.
It's the largest "old girl network" in the world...and one heck of a pipeline.
So, when I had heard one time too many that there were not enough women in the "pipeline," I decided to see if I could help the best pipeline I knew (and that had shown me I could be an entrepreneur when I sold more Girl Scout cookies than any girl in Ohio one year) strengthen its brand, and its funding, so it could reach even more girls around the country.
Mirroring the progress of women over the last century, it is time for Girl Scouts to embrace its mission, and its power to change girls’ -- all girls' -- lives. It is time for it grow into its potential for the next 100 years.
As First Vice Chair of the Board, and Chair of our Fund Development Committee, I can PROMISE you that there are great things on tap for this convention, for our anniversary year - 2012 - which we have dubbed "The Year of The Girl," and for record breaking funding for this nation's girls!
So, stay tuned...I'll be writing more from Girl Scouts' 100th Anniversary Convention. Because the pipeline is about to strike Texas oil!
