Eleanor Roosevelt - Giving as a Leadership Quality
November 7 is Election Day in United States. Even though I’m not an American this senate election is exciting to me. If the Democratic Party will win, as the poles predict, for the first time in history the head of the biggest party in the senate will be a woman (Nancy Pelosi - House Democratic Leader).
This might be the first sign for what is waiting for us in the election of 2008 for the US presidency, where most speculations are saying that both Hilary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice will be running and we might witness history taking place where the United States will have their first woman president.
But long before Hilary, Condoleezza or Nancy Pelosi there was a woman that influenced the affairs of the State not by being the wife of but due to her own power and individuality.
By no mere coincidence November 7 is not only election day but also the memorial day of one of the most impressive and powerful women in America history - Eleanor Roosevelt.
Eleanor Roosevelt may not have been the best mother, but she was voted the most admired woman in America. She was painfully shy and lacked self confidence for most of her life, but she was called “the First Lady of the Western World.”
She was berated for interfering in affairs of state, but she was the eyes and ears of the president. She was raised in a wealthy, cloistered society that knew none but its own, but she spent her life as a champion of the underdog. Despite what some people want us to believe, she was no saint; instead, she was a woman ahead of her time, a warm, loving, sincere, kind, wise, strong, disciplined, very human person who used her talents and position to help bring about much needed social change.
Eleanor Roosevelt made it her mission to give every man, woman, and child equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Her vision for the dilemma of the human kind was now protected in the so-called “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.�
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that, “You get more joy out of giving to others, and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you are able to give.” Her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the oppressed and the poor earned her the love of millions throughout the world.
From a shy, awkward child, starved for recognition and love, Eleanor Roosevelt grew into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. Her constant work to improve their lot made her one of the most loved, and for some years, one of the most revered women of her generation.
World-renowned, respected, and admired, Eleanor Roosevelt made many lasting and meaningful contributions to the welfare of mankind which has stood the rigorous test of time. She was always dedicated to helping others. She taught at a school she had set up for poor children. She also ran a factory to employ jobless people. In addition, she was an advocate for equal rights. She was, as President Truman said, “First Lady of the World.”
Eleanor Roosevelt is a role model for the Feminine Leadership quality of giving. She used to say: “the most important thing in any relationship is not what you get but what you give. …the giving of love is an education in itselfâ€?. Maybe that’s the most important lesson we should all learn. Eleanor Roosevelt stood up for it and can be our teacher in how we can do it in our daily life. Her legacy is about giving and equality.
Let November 7 be a day of giving. Who can you give your love to today?
