For the last three years, I have been asked to do a presentation for a Women's Community Leadership Initiative group. The topic is women in leadership positions within the public sector; fitting because I am a female firefighter and assistant team leader for a search and rescue team. The gist of the event is that I go sit with a female deputy, female marshal, and a female attorney and we answer questions related to how we got into our career field, stumbling blocks we found along the way, and why we do what we do.
The first two years, I kind of addressed it like a sales pitch - if you want to be a firefighter, this is what you need to do. And, honestly, my heart wasn't really in it because many of the women in the program weren't interested in being a firefighter.
This year it finally dawned on me why I was there. The ladies doing the presentation with me are all very accomplished women with several years of experience and success under their belts. Their stories and backgrounds inspire me. While we were answering questions about why we do what we do and how we deal with the tough situations in our career fields, I looked around at a room full of faces that were amazed. Not necessarily at the fact that we were women in male-dominated career fields. But that we, as a whole, were so involved and happy with what we do that we had found ways to be successful. On a daily basis, we deal with people not completely understanding we were capable of doing our jobs. We see death and abuse and very sick people day in and day out. And we are motivated to come back the next day and do it all again. Excited to go to work.
It isn't about me being a firefighter. It isn't about me being someone who influences someone else to be a firefighter. It is about me, showing someone else that the confidence they have in themselves, can take them to places they want to go. Nothing is out of our reach. Sometimes, you don't even realize you've got there because you keep moving your destination farther. As we reach one success, we find another to strive for. And we motivate and inspire others along the way.
This presentation really isn't about my career as a firefighter, or how women become a deputy. It is about showing others that they can create their own path and have confidence in their abilities.
One of the ladies tonight said it the best. "If you can't find it, be it."
