"OneThingNew" today features my thoughts on reaching out to other women for mentoring advice. Wouldn’t you just love to ask a CEO how she got to the corner office, or a startup expert about how she made her ideas a reality? Mentors who can answer these questions are a source of inspiration for us, and give us direction for our careers. A few of my favorite mentoring videos are highlighted on onethingnew.com. In addition to the women featured on OneThingNew, I have found another source of advice these days. Commencement Day speeches! Even if you're not a graduate, it's so great to listen to the speeches of these amazing executives and hear their vision of the future. Oprah's speech at Harvard, where she tells us that one secret ingredient that helped her get to the top and stay there, is one to watch. Steve Case of AOL fame, spoke at UNC recently. He reminds us that "if you want to go quickly, go alone, if you want to go far, go together". His recommendation - surround yourself with people who will lift you up and help you achieve more than you could on your own. Melinda Gates spoke at Duke University and talked about what it means to "be connected". Melinda clarifies the difference between having a lot of friends on facebook, and being a friend to one another.
It's apparent from watching these videos how much the American Dream has changed since the speakers were young. The American Dream is no longer only a rags to riches story - being poor, starting in the mailroom, climbing the corporate ladder and ending up CEO after 20 years of work. Now all kinds of kids form startups and end up billionaires before they are 30. The American Dream is also no longer just about improving your own economic status. It includes your lifting up others as well. New technologies have given us a new dream, allowing us to change the world from our cellphones while checking our health and our heart rate, be educated online, and find mentors in unusual places. Oprah, Steve and Melinda all agree, the American Dream is no longer about accumulating wealth. It's about the people you meet and how much you can help them. Find a mentor in these videos, be a mentor in person.
(photo by Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer)
Good Advice from Smart Women....
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