March 3, 2024 • 30 mins
In this episode, Gia interviews Sandra Kenoff, President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. Sandra shares her professional journey, starting from a career in marketing and advertising to her current role in empowering girls through Girl Scouts.
The conversation delves into the importance of sisterhood, mentorship, and the evolution of women's empowerment in the business world. Sandra provides valuable advice for women striving to reach the C-suite and emphasizes the significance of finding a supportive network, mentorship, and continuous learning.
The episode highlights the mission of Girl Scouts in building girls of courage, confidence, and character, and how this contributes to their leadership development. Sandra also discusses the progress made for women in business, opportunities that still exist, and the need for diverse leadership. The conversation concludes with insights on defining success, leaving a legacy, and the importance of supporting future generations of female leaders.
• Fifty-six percent (56%) of women in the 117th Congress are Girl Scout alums.
• Seventy-one percent (71%) of current female senators are Girl Scout alums.
• Fifty-three percent (53%) of current female delegates and representatives in the House of Representatives are Girl Scout alums.
• Five of the nine current female governors are Girl Scout alums.
• Every female secretary of state in U.S. history is a Girl Scout or Girl Guide alum: Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Clinton.
[Girl Scout Alums Lead, 2021]
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you are exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
now. Welcome to Your Future Starts Now.
I'm your host, Gia Lacqua. I want to thank you for being here. Today, I
(00:43):
am thrilled to introduce you to Sandra Kenoff Sandra
is the proud president and CEO of Girl Scouts of
Northern New Jersey. She's been leading the organization through transformational
change with a focus on ensuring that more girls can
find their voice. Sandra is committed to increasing diversity,
accessibility and inclusion in Girl Scouting and providing
(01:06):
the best and most appropriate resources and facilities that
will tap into the opportunities and meet the challenges of
an advancing world. She is motivated to help
each girl navigate today's modern landscape and achieve their
life goals. Sandra, so excited to have you
(01:29):
So Sandra, before you were CEO, I
know you were with Girl Scouts in a different capacity. You were the Chief Development and
Communications Officer, but you started your career in
marketing and advertising. So can you
share a little bit more about your professional journey and
(01:52):
Much like Women of Today, where I
started is not where I ended up. It was not a linear
path. And that's a great thing. I did
start out in advertising. I worked at
global ad agencies on major brands including
downing yogurt slim fast foods trident
(02:15):
gum Campbell soup and I
had a career that I loved it
was very fast-paced I was very driven I
had goals of going the distance wanted
to be a CEO of an ad agency and
I was pursuing that and then
(02:37):
I started a family. And
that was a big change. And that was
at a time in the early 2000s when there was no flexibility.
We didn't have a hybrid work environment. My
career required a lot of travel. My husband
(02:57):
traveled a lot, and we made the decision that I would make
a change, and I would be home with
my young daughters. And that
was the end of my time in advertising. And
I wasn't sure when I would go back to work. I knew that I
would, and I kept myself in
(03:20):
the environment of marketing by having a small strategic
consulting business. But I wasn't sure when I
was going to go back full time. And my
life was very different with two young daughters. And
so what I did was get involved in community. I
was living in the suburbs after living
(03:43):
in New York City for almost 10 years. And Getting
involved in community was a way for me not only to
build new friendships, but also to
connect because I didn't know what was next for
me career-wise. And I
often talk about the fact that my non-profit career was
(04:05):
born out of volunteerism. I got involved
at a Jewish community center in my community,
which for those who are not familiar is very much like a YMCA, had
everything there from fitness to aquatics to cultural arts
to preschool. And my girls were there and
(04:25):
I decided to get involved. I was on the board of directors for
several, several years. And then an
opportunity came up for me to serve on the senior leadership team
in a marketing and fund development role. And I thought that
it was an excellent way for me to transfer my expertise
(04:45):
in positioning and storytelling in
a nonprofit role. And I
was very happy to roll up my sleeves and join the senior team
of the JCC. And I ended up working
there for 10 years and found that
I was incredibly motivated by a mission. So
(05:09):
for me, here I was building community and
had an opportunity to use
my skills in a very different way. And it
was a very fulfilling position, I really
took a lot of satisfaction and felt
accomplished in the work that we did. And
(05:33):
after almost 10 years on staff, I
felt that it was time for me to move on
and had an opportunity to come to
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. I felt
that it represented a lot of the things I
loved about marketing and advertising because I was back
(05:53):
with an iconic brand, positioning it in
the marketplace. I was in a chief
development and communications role, so marketing was a
big function of that original position. And then
again, leveraging the storytelling to motivate donors
in a fund development role. So I really
(06:16):
took that passion for mission-based work. to
the next level, because Girl Scouts really speaks to
me, because of what it stands for about
empowering girls, empowering the next generation of women.
And I think this is why we're having this conversation today.
Because the sisterhood of Girl Scouts, the opportunities
(06:40):
that it provides for girls, and what it means for their leadership development
going forward, is something that really spoke
to me. And along the way the opportunity came
up, our CEO left her position and
I thought, this is my time, let me go for it. And here
I am, I'm about to start year three in the CEO
(07:05):
Wow, what an incredible opportunity and such an amazing journey.
So it sounds like you always had aspirations to be CEO, but that
maybe path took some turns along the
way. And I love the fact that, you know, you talk about the mission and
the purpose and really being driven by that mission and the purpose, which
is so powerful. I'm curious on the theme of
(07:26):
girls' empowerment before we switch over to women's empowerment. How
do you envision when you think about the vision and the mission of Girl Scouts, how do
you envision Girl Scouts contribute to the development and
empowerment of girls in today's rapidly changing world?
The mission of Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence
and character who make the world a better place. And
(07:49):
from the earliest time in Girl Scouts, it's about
promoting a sisterhood and learning how
to work with other girls in an environment that
values mentorship and
diversity. And I think that Some
(08:12):
of the things in Girl Scouting, and I'll name a few that
really translate well to leadership, have
to do with the fact that girls are encouraged to
teach or mentor younger girls. We
see that with our highest awards when girls are pursuing
the highest awards in Girl Scouting. It is important that
(08:35):
they work with younger girls so
that they can mentor them. From the earliest
days in Girl Scouting, the things that
they learn first as a Daisy at five and six
years old are the components of being
a friend, being considerate and caring, being friendly
(08:56):
and helpful, being honest and fair. being responsible
for what they say and do. These are things that really build
character. They're the things that girls can carry forward
with them as they grow into young adults. I
think even, you know, programmatically, we look at
camp and when girls go to
(09:20):
our summer day camp, they work
together on building building
their confidence when they're doing things like the low ropes challenge course,
and they're working under the buddy system of no
less than two when exploring nature or discovering new
activities. So I think there's a lot of examples there of
(09:42):
the ways that we're trying to foster this concept of
being a sister to every Girl Scout, which is
Love that. I love the concept of sisterhood. I hear you
talk about friendship. I heard you talk about
mentorship, exploring together.
(10:03):
I'm curious, what does that term sisterhood
I think sisterhood
is so important. So I'm going to say two seconds on
my personal and then a lot about sisterhood in
general. So I have a sister, my
mom has a sister, my grandma had a sister. I
(10:25):
come from a line of sisters. I
think there's something really special about having a sister. But
there's this concept out there about sisterhood, and
we see it in so many spaces of
life. When I was in college, I
was in a sorority. I tremendously value the
(10:47):
fact that I was able to be a part of a sisterhood, and
that is something that is very prevalent in
the college world, and
I think that sisterhood is
about connecting, supporting, finding
community, creating bonds. And
(11:10):
I think we look for it in many different aspects of
life. There are organizations that are focused on sisterhood. So
not just Girl Scouts, where when we work in
a troop, which is a group of girls, we're looking to build a
sisterhood. We talk about our Girl Scout sisters. But
I look at other organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters. And
(11:33):
I think some of the common themes that you see there are about
this concept of mentorship. So I think that within sisterhood,
some of it, it's about creating the bond and having those spaces
that are just for girls or women. It's
about support and connectivity, but it's also very
(11:54):
much about mentorship. We look to
our big sister to guide us. think
about sisterhood in terms of helping
others to flourish. And I think that
we see that in many different spaces. And
(12:15):
we see it in the professional world too. Building a
sisterhood can be a key driver to success.
And it's something I believe in very strongly, which
is why I think that we're always, you know, we
hold near and dear this concept of sisterhood.
(12:35):
Yeah, it's such an interesting concept. And
I'd love to reflect on how it's evolved over time. I think to your point, there's
always been a lot of value in sisterhood and having these
groups that support girls and women. But I
do want to take a moment to just reflect on the fact that, you
know, when I started in the corporate world 20 years ago, You
(12:56):
know, I think it was very different. I think there was a lot of sharp elbows and
I think there's a lot of competition. And I think that still exists.
But I think we're in a place now where we realize that we're going
to get farther by supporting one another. Right. And I think to your
point, we can help each other thrive, lift each other up.
And that doesn't diminish. our ability and our
(13:17):
power and our journey. And so I love this concept
and being able to apply it across your journey and
across the lifespan. Sandra, in your experience, your
professional experience and your personal experience, what do you notice in
terms of We've made a lot of progress for women in
business and women in
general in terms of equality. I'm curious, where do
(13:40):
you think we have made progress? And
in your mind, what change still needs to happen
I definitely think that there are still many barriers,
but I will talk about the opportunities
(14:01):
and the growth that I've seen with regard
to women in business. So the statistic currently is
that women run less than 11% of Fortune
500 companies. And while that is an increase over
years prior, there's obviously still a long way to
go further. And I think this really needs to
(14:22):
be underscored. there's only a handful of
women of color in there. So there's really a
lot of opportunity. And when we think of it in terms of
percentages, there's still a long way to go. So
I think that in terms of barriers, I try
not to look at barriers, I try to look at opportunities. And
(14:46):
I think that the opportunity is in having
diverse leadership, that as women, that
we have opportunities not
only to get a seat at the table, but to pave the way for our
sisters. And I think that as
organizations and corporations, we need to value diversity
(15:10):
of thought and background and make sure
that we are thinking about the next
generation, which is something that I talk a lot about in my
work with girls. We want to be thinking about that next generation
of leadership, and that's something that I think we
can replicate in the business world. In
(15:31):
June of 2023, there was an article in
Fortune magazine where the Accenture chair and
CEO, Julie and adapt at a personal level throughout their
careers. What she talked about was resilience, adaptability,
and having to be pioneers. And I think that really speaks
to some of the opportunities that are out there,
(15:56):
Yeah, I love the reframe too, right? Because there's always going to be challenges and
barriers. But to your point, there their opportunities and
how do we, how do we pave that path and open up those opportunities for
ourselves and future generations? I think it's a great point, right? So
a lot of our listeners are high achieving women, working moms. And,
and I think as you experienced in your career, women
(16:17):
are faced with the pressure of doing it all right. And the expectations that
are placed on women are tremendous and pressure
to excel in our careers, raise children, manage households. right,
and participate in every aspect of life, it can be really overwhelming. I'm
curious from your experience, what has helped
you manage through some of that overwhelm?
(16:40):
I think the current world and
the silver lining of COVID is
that we have this flexibility that we never had before.
Here we are talking on camera, through
the computer. And the fact that in
a post COVID world, it's really not post COVID, but
(17:03):
we are afforded the opportunity to
work remotely, have flexibility. I
think these are the things that really
make for future opportunities, no
matter who you are and where you are. And for
women especially, who are moms
(17:27):
and maybe had to make a change like
I did, I think that there's a lot more flexibility
that can be offered to them. And I
think it reframes the way that we
can engage a workforce. And
so I know even in our work at Girl
(17:49):
Scouts, we've thought through what is the right mix. I
value in person work, but
I very much value being home. I'm home
today. And I think that's a great thing
and being able to accomplish what I need to do
from my home office. But I want to make
(18:10):
sure that there are opportunities to connect in where we
need to. But I think when you look at opportunities
for women. They can be incredibly
flexible, they don't even have to have jobs that are in
their local areas anymore. And I think that
that is really, I think the game changer on on
(18:33):
how we can work with a diverse workforce going
Love that. So taking advantage of the opportunities and the the
technology that we have nowadays in the hybrid working environment when
you can. is an important one. Now, Sandra,
as you reflect on your two years in
your CEO role so far, and I know you talked about some
(18:57):
statistics, what recommendations or advice do
you have for other women who are striving to get
to the C-suite and really feel
sometimes defeated and overwhelmed? And I'm curious,
Yeah, I have several pieces of advice. First is, I
(19:18):
think you need to find your sisterhood. You need to tap into a network. It's
so important. Whether it's just an interest or
finding specific communities that can help
you navigate your next chapter, that's
really important. Again, for me, when
I reflect on my career, I mentioned that my nonprofit career
(19:41):
was born out of volunteerism. I was not necessarily
thinking that I was going back to work
in a specific area. I had assumed that
I would go back to advertising at some point,
but because of the network that I
built in my local community and an opportunity that came up,
(20:04):
my career took a different turn. With others is
super important. And I want to underscore the importance of
connecting with women, because I really do
believe in this power of sisterhood. And
I think that's an important aspect of things. My
second piece of advice would be to find a mentor.
(20:27):
I think that speaking
to somebody, working with somebody who can guide you
or who you can learn from can be incredibly helpful. In
today's world, we value diversity of thought and
somebody who maybe was an accountant could be an
excellent nonprofit leader. It's a
(20:50):
matter of how are they navigating their
future? What are they able to connect into? Where
are there opportunities? I do very much believe
that learning from others can be incredibly helpful.
Another thing that I would speak to is is being
open to learning. So I
(21:14):
always talk about I'm an avid tennis player. And I
very much believe that Leadership is
like my tennis game and I can always use a coach. So
I am working with an executive coach and that's really
helpful to me as I continue to
grow in my career and work towards goals
(21:38):
that are shared and articulated, but
I want to make sure that I am continuing to evolve so
that I can be the best leader that I can be for
others and to inspire growth
and make sure that we
have alignment so that we can
(22:00):
do what we need to do so more girls can benefit from
Yeah, great advice. So I heard first thing you talked about was
kind of that sisterhood in the community. And it's such a great point, having, making
sure you're surrounding yourself with the right people, right, who
are going to help lift you up. The other thing, the mentorship,
(22:21):
I, you know, has been very helpful for me in my career
as well. I think for me, it was hard to find the right person. But
absolutely, like tapping into people, maybe you wouldn't initially think
of to write like, to your point, can be really, really
important. And then the growth mindset and, and really
continuing to learn and grow, even as CEO, you know,
(22:42):
you're continuing to learn and grow in a different capacity. And I
love the way you talked about, yes, you're responsible for driving the vision and the strategic
objectives of the organization, but you're also responsible for leading and
developing people, right, and aligning them to um,
to achieve those goals and objectives. So some really great advice,
you know, and I want to acknowledge how far we've come. I
(23:04):
think sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the
day to day overwhelm of what we go through as women and
having to manage it all. And I want to take a moment to just honor and recognize
how far we've come. If you zoom out and take that
bird's eye view. Right. We we've
made a ton of progress. We have unprecedented opportunities in
(23:26):
education and careers and public life. But to your point, there's still opportunity.
There's still work to be done. And so I want
to also recognize that the fight for equality is is really
not just about adding more roles, but it's about ensuring
choices and autonomy. So it's not about
expecting women to do everything. It's more about creating a world where
(23:49):
women could choose the path that suits them best. But I
think sometimes we get bogged down in this notion of I have to do everything and
I have to do everything really well. So
I think it's important that we step back to recognize, you
know, we have the agency to define our own path. And
when I get bogged down in those moments, one of the things I like to
(24:10):
really reflect on is zoom out. And to
your point, think about the impact we're leaving for the future generations.
You and I both have girls. So thinking about like, what
path are we creating for our daughters? How do we create a
world where women can thrive without the weight of unrealistic
expectations? I think when you're able to zoom out and see that
(24:31):
it's where we are in the journey, it's not perfect. I don't know that
it ever will be, but how do we make it better?
So I would love to know how, Sandra, do
you define success and how has
That's a great question. I think defining success
(24:54):
is something that evolves. In
my professional life, I define success
by seeing girls in
action, seeing girls who are living
our mission, who are confident
(25:14):
and courageous and making a difference in
their communities. That's really how I define
success. I think it's seeing the
work come to fruition. So that's where I get my
professional satisfaction. I think that
(25:34):
success, they're short-term and long-term. And I
think that we need to think about our
families as well as our friendships, as
well as our professional life. So, you know, success in my family
might be about health and wellness and
great experiences together and seeing
(25:56):
my daughters flourish. And, you
know, that might be how we define success there in
terms of friendships, you know, also having great experiences, maintaining
strong connections. I think a lot
of my success is about relationships as
(26:17):
well. And again, really speaks to this concept of
sisterhood. I think that having a network
of support is an aspect of success. And
again, because I'm motivated by a
nonprofit mission, making a
difference in community is really an aspect
(26:41):
of success. So if
I think about the legacy that I want to leave, it's about making
sure that more girls are having the opportunity to
develop into the leaders of tomorrow, whatever that path
looks like for them. But I want to make sure that I'm
thinking about the next generation of girls and
(27:05):
providing them with resources and opportunities to make the world better.
It really drives me. So those are
Yeah, I can see why it drives you. I think you and I share that passion for sure.
What I think about is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who very
(27:28):
much believes that, you know, women should have a seat at the table wherever
decisions are being made. And I think that's very
inspiring, as well. She
happens to be, she was a member
of my sorority. So I love that even more, full circle.
(27:48):
But I think that's another great, great quote,
speaking to the need for sisterhood
Incredible, incredible insights.
Sandra, I want to thank you for being here, sharing your insights and expertise.
And, you know, on behalf of the girls of Northern New
(28:11):
Jersey, and personally, I want to thank you for the work that you're doing
in paving the way for the next generation. How
Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity. And
I know we do some really inspirational and great work
together. So thank you for your leadership. And, and
(28:32):
for your girls that are doing great things in
their Girl Scouting journey. To connect with me,
you can visit our website, which is Girl Scouts of Northern New
Jersey. It's gsnnj.org. And
Perfect. And we know that money can't buy happiness, but it
(28:55):
can buy you Girl Scout cookies. And that's kind of the same thing. So I
want to make sure that you're going out there and supporting your young female entrepreneurs,
especially during cookie season. And if you need a cookie dealer, please reach
out. You can visit my website at giallacqua.com. And of course,
reach out to me on Instagram at giallacqua with thoughts, feedback, comments,
and questions that you have. This is Gia signing off
(29:16):
with gratitude for your time and energy. Our mic drops, but
the movement continues. Until next time, your next chapter
is waiting. Take care. That concludes another empowering episode
of Your Future Starts Now. Before we wrap up, I want to thank this
incredible community of high-achieving women. Your energy, resilience,
and commitment to growth are the driving force behind what we do.
(29:38):
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate it, leave a review, and don't forget
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(30:01):
GiaLacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you are exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
now. Welcome to Your Future Starts Now.
I'm your host, Gia Lacqua. I want to thank you for being here. Today, I
(00:43):
am thrilled to introduce you to Sandra Kenoff Sandra
is the proud president and CEO of Girl Scouts of
Northern New Jersey. She's been leading the organization through transformational
change with a focus on ensuring that more girls can
find their voice. Sandra is committed to increasing diversity,
accessibility and inclusion in Girl Scouting and providing
(01:06):
the best and most appropriate resources and facilities that
will tap into the opportunities and meet the challenges of
an advancing world. She is motivated to help
each girl navigate today's modern landscape and achieve their
life goals. Sandra, so excited to have you
(01:29):
So Sandra, before you were CEO, I
know you were with Girl Scouts in a different capacity. You were the Chief Development and
Communications Officer, but you started your career in
marketing and advertising. So can you
share a little bit more about your professional journey and
(01:52):
Much like Women of Today, where I
started is not where I ended up. It was not a linear
path. And that's a great thing. I did
start out in advertising. I worked at
global ad agencies on major brands including
downing yogurt slim fast foods trident
(02:15):
gum Campbell soup and I
had a career that I loved it
was very fast-paced I was very driven I
had goals of going the distance wanted
to be a CEO of an ad agency and
I was pursuing that and then
(02:37):
I started a family. And
that was a big change. And that was
at a time in the early 2000s when there was no flexibility.
We didn't have a hybrid work environment. My
career required a lot of travel. My husband
(02:57):
traveled a lot, and we made the decision that I would make
a change, and I would be home with
my young daughters. And that
was the end of my time in advertising. And
I wasn't sure when I would go back to work. I knew that I
would, and I kept myself in
(03:20):
the environment of marketing by having a small strategic
consulting business. But I wasn't sure when I
was going to go back full time. And my
life was very different with two young daughters. And
so what I did was get involved in community. I
was living in the suburbs after living
(03:43):
in New York City for almost 10 years. And Getting
involved in community was a way for me not only to
build new friendships, but also to
connect because I didn't know what was next for
me career-wise. And I
often talk about the fact that my non-profit career was
(04:05):
born out of volunteerism. I got involved
at a Jewish community center in my community,
which for those who are not familiar is very much like a YMCA, had
everything there from fitness to aquatics to cultural arts
to preschool. And my girls were there and
(04:25):
I decided to get involved. I was on the board of directors for
several, several years. And then an
opportunity came up for me to serve on the senior leadership team
in a marketing and fund development role. And I thought that
it was an excellent way for me to transfer my expertise
(04:45):
in positioning and storytelling in
a nonprofit role. And I
was very happy to roll up my sleeves and join the senior team
of the JCC. And I ended up working
there for 10 years and found that
I was incredibly motivated by a mission. So
(05:09):
for me, here I was building community and
had an opportunity to use
my skills in a very different way. And it
was a very fulfilling position, I really
took a lot of satisfaction and felt
accomplished in the work that we did. And
(05:33):
after almost 10 years on staff, I
felt that it was time for me to move on
and had an opportunity to come to
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. I felt
that it represented a lot of the things I
loved about marketing and advertising because I was back
(05:53):
with an iconic brand, positioning it in
the marketplace. I was in a chief
development and communications role, so marketing was a
big function of that original position. And then
again, leveraging the storytelling to motivate donors
in a fund development role. So I really
(06:16):
took that passion for mission-based work. to
the next level, because Girl Scouts really speaks to
me, because of what it stands for about
empowering girls, empowering the next generation of women.
And I think this is why we're having this conversation today.
Because the sisterhood of Girl Scouts, the opportunities
(06:40):
that it provides for girls, and what it means for their leadership development
going forward, is something that really spoke
to me. And along the way the opportunity came
up, our CEO left her position and
I thought, this is my time, let me go for it. And here
I am, I'm about to start year three in the CEO
(07:05):
Wow, what an incredible opportunity and such an amazing journey.
So it sounds like you always had aspirations to be CEO, but that
maybe path took some turns along the
way. And I love the fact that, you know, you talk about the mission and
the purpose and really being driven by that mission and the purpose, which
is so powerful. I'm curious on the theme of
(07:26):
girls' empowerment before we switch over to women's empowerment. How
do you envision when you think about the vision and the mission of Girl Scouts, how do
you envision Girl Scouts contribute to the development and
empowerment of girls in today's rapidly changing world?
The mission of Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence
and character who make the world a better place. And
(07:49):
from the earliest time in Girl Scouts, it's about
promoting a sisterhood and learning how
to work with other girls in an environment that
values mentorship and
diversity. And I think that Some
(08:12):
of the things in Girl Scouting, and I'll name a few that
really translate well to leadership, have
to do with the fact that girls are encouraged to
teach or mentor younger girls. We
see that with our highest awards when girls are pursuing
the highest awards in Girl Scouting. It is important that
(08:35):
they work with younger girls so
that they can mentor them. From the earliest
days in Girl Scouting, the things that
they learn first as a Daisy at five and six
years old are the components of being
a friend, being considerate and caring, being friendly
(08:56):
and helpful, being honest and fair. being responsible
for what they say and do. These are things that really build
character. They're the things that girls can carry forward
with them as they grow into young adults. I
think even, you know, programmatically, we look at
camp and when girls go to
(09:20):
our summer day camp, they work
together on building building
their confidence when they're doing things like the low ropes challenge course,
and they're working under the buddy system of no
less than two when exploring nature or discovering new
activities. So I think there's a lot of examples there of
(09:42):
the ways that we're trying to foster this concept of
being a sister to every Girl Scout, which is
Love that. I love the concept of sisterhood. I hear you
talk about friendship. I heard you talk about
mentorship, exploring together.
(10:03):
I'm curious, what does that term sisterhood
I think sisterhood
is so important. So I'm going to say two seconds on
my personal and then a lot about sisterhood in
general. So I have a sister, my
mom has a sister, my grandma had a sister. I
(10:25):
come from a line of sisters. I
think there's something really special about having a sister. But
there's this concept out there about sisterhood, and
we see it in so many spaces of
life. When I was in college, I
was in a sorority. I tremendously value the
(10:47):
fact that I was able to be a part of a sisterhood, and
that is something that is very prevalent in
the college world, and
I think that sisterhood is
about connecting, supporting, finding
community, creating bonds. And
(11:10):
I think we look for it in many different aspects of
life. There are organizations that are focused on sisterhood. So
not just Girl Scouts, where when we work in
a troop, which is a group of girls, we're looking to build a
sisterhood. We talk about our Girl Scout sisters. But
I look at other organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters. And
(11:33):
I think some of the common themes that you see there are about
this concept of mentorship. So I think that within sisterhood,
some of it, it's about creating the bond and having those spaces
that are just for girls or women. It's
about support and connectivity, but it's also very
(11:54):
much about mentorship. We look to
our big sister to guide us. think
about sisterhood in terms of helping
others to flourish. And I think that
we see that in many different spaces. And
(12:15):
we see it in the professional world too. Building a
sisterhood can be a key driver to success.
And it's something I believe in very strongly, which
is why I think that we're always, you know, we
hold near and dear this concept of sisterhood.
(12:35):
Yeah, it's such an interesting concept. And
I'd love to reflect on how it's evolved over time. I think to your point, there's
always been a lot of value in sisterhood and having these
groups that support girls and women. But I
do want to take a moment to just reflect on the fact that, you
know, when I started in the corporate world 20 years ago, You
(12:56):
know, I think it was very different. I think there was a lot of sharp elbows and
I think there's a lot of competition. And I think that still exists.
But I think we're in a place now where we realize that we're going
to get farther by supporting one another. Right. And I think to your
point, we can help each other thrive, lift each other up.
And that doesn't diminish. our ability and our
(13:17):
power and our journey. And so I love this concept
and being able to apply it across your journey and
across the lifespan. Sandra, in your experience, your
professional experience and your personal experience, what do you notice in
terms of We've made a lot of progress for women in
business and women in
general in terms of equality. I'm curious, where do
(13:40):
you think we have made progress? And
in your mind, what change still needs to happen
I definitely think that there are still many barriers,
but I will talk about the opportunities
(14:01):
and the growth that I've seen with regard
to women in business. So the statistic currently is
that women run less than 11% of Fortune
500 companies. And while that is an increase over
years prior, there's obviously still a long way to
go further. And I think this really needs to
(14:22):
be underscored. there's only a handful of
women of color in there. So there's really a
lot of opportunity. And when we think of it in terms of
percentages, there's still a long way to go. So
I think that in terms of barriers, I try
not to look at barriers, I try to look at opportunities. And
(14:46):
I think that the opportunity is in having
diverse leadership, that as women, that
we have opportunities not
only to get a seat at the table, but to pave the way for our
sisters. And I think that as
organizations and corporations, we need to value diversity
(15:10):
of thought and background and make sure
that we are thinking about the next
generation, which is something that I talk a lot about in my
work with girls. We want to be thinking about that next generation
of leadership, and that's something that I think we
can replicate in the business world. In
(15:31):
June of 2023, there was an article in
Fortune magazine where the Accenture chair and
CEO, Julie and adapt at a personal level throughout their
careers. What she talked about was resilience, adaptability,
and having to be pioneers. And I think that really speaks
to some of the opportunities that are out there,
(15:56):
Yeah, I love the reframe too, right? Because there's always going to be challenges and
barriers. But to your point, there their opportunities and
how do we, how do we pave that path and open up those opportunities for
ourselves and future generations? I think it's a great point, right? So
a lot of our listeners are high achieving women, working moms. And,
and I think as you experienced in your career, women
(16:17):
are faced with the pressure of doing it all right. And the expectations that
are placed on women are tremendous and pressure
to excel in our careers, raise children, manage households. right,
and participate in every aspect of life, it can be really overwhelming. I'm
curious from your experience, what has helped
you manage through some of that overwhelm?
(16:40):
I think the current world and
the silver lining of COVID is
that we have this flexibility that we never had before.
Here we are talking on camera, through
the computer. And the fact that in
a post COVID world, it's really not post COVID, but
(17:03):
we are afforded the opportunity to
work remotely, have flexibility. I
think these are the things that really
make for future opportunities, no
matter who you are and where you are. And for
women especially, who are moms
(17:27):
and maybe had to make a change like
I did, I think that there's a lot more flexibility
that can be offered to them. And I
think it reframes the way that we
can engage a workforce. And
so I know even in our work at Girl
(17:49):
Scouts, we've thought through what is the right mix. I
value in person work, but
I very much value being home. I'm home
today. And I think that's a great thing
and being able to accomplish what I need to do
from my home office. But I want to make
(18:10):
sure that there are opportunities to connect in where we
need to. But I think when you look at opportunities
for women. They can be incredibly
flexible, they don't even have to have jobs that are in
their local areas anymore. And I think that
that is really, I think the game changer on on
(18:33):
how we can work with a diverse workforce going
Love that. So taking advantage of the opportunities and the the
technology that we have nowadays in the hybrid working environment when
you can. is an important one. Now, Sandra,
as you reflect on your two years in
your CEO role so far, and I know you talked about some
(18:57):
statistics, what recommendations or advice do
you have for other women who are striving to get
to the C-suite and really feel
sometimes defeated and overwhelmed? And I'm curious,
Yeah, I have several pieces of advice. First is, I
(19:18):
think you need to find your sisterhood. You need to tap into a network. It's
so important. Whether it's just an interest or
finding specific communities that can help
you navigate your next chapter, that's
really important. Again, for me, when
I reflect on my career, I mentioned that my nonprofit career
(19:41):
was born out of volunteerism. I was not necessarily
thinking that I was going back to work
in a specific area. I had assumed that
I would go back to advertising at some point,
but because of the network that I
built in my local community and an opportunity that came up,
(20:04):
my career took a different turn. With others is
super important. And I want to underscore the importance of
connecting with women, because I really do
believe in this power of sisterhood. And
I think that's an important aspect of things. My
second piece of advice would be to find a mentor.
(20:27):
I think that speaking
to somebody, working with somebody who can guide you
or who you can learn from can be incredibly helpful. In
today's world, we value diversity of thought and
somebody who maybe was an accountant could be an
excellent nonprofit leader. It's a
(20:50):
matter of how are they navigating their
future? What are they able to connect into? Where
are there opportunities? I do very much believe
that learning from others can be incredibly helpful.
Another thing that I would speak to is is being
open to learning. So I
(21:14):
always talk about I'm an avid tennis player. And I
very much believe that Leadership is
like my tennis game and I can always use a coach. So
I am working with an executive coach and that's really
helpful to me as I continue to
grow in my career and work towards goals
(21:38):
that are shared and articulated, but
I want to make sure that I am continuing to evolve so
that I can be the best leader that I can be for
others and to inspire growth
and make sure that we
have alignment so that we can
(22:00):
do what we need to do so more girls can benefit from
Yeah, great advice. So I heard first thing you talked about was
kind of that sisterhood in the community. And it's such a great point, having, making
sure you're surrounding yourself with the right people, right, who
are going to help lift you up. The other thing, the mentorship,
(22:21):
I, you know, has been very helpful for me in my career
as well. I think for me, it was hard to find the right person. But
absolutely, like tapping into people, maybe you wouldn't initially think
of to write like, to your point, can be really, really
important. And then the growth mindset and, and really
continuing to learn and grow, even as CEO, you know,
(22:42):
you're continuing to learn and grow in a different capacity. And I
love the way you talked about, yes, you're responsible for driving the vision and the strategic
objectives of the organization, but you're also responsible for leading and
developing people, right, and aligning them to um,
to achieve those goals and objectives. So some really great advice,
you know, and I want to acknowledge how far we've come. I
(23:04):
think sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the
day to day overwhelm of what we go through as women and
having to manage it all. And I want to take a moment to just honor and recognize
how far we've come. If you zoom out and take that
bird's eye view. Right. We we've
made a ton of progress. We have unprecedented opportunities in
(23:26):
education and careers and public life. But to your point, there's still opportunity.
There's still work to be done. And so I want
to also recognize that the fight for equality is is really
not just about adding more roles, but it's about ensuring
choices and autonomy. So it's not about
expecting women to do everything. It's more about creating a world where
(23:49):
women could choose the path that suits them best. But I
think sometimes we get bogged down in this notion of I have to do everything and
I have to do everything really well. So
I think it's important that we step back to recognize, you
know, we have the agency to define our own path. And
when I get bogged down in those moments, one of the things I like to
(24:10):
really reflect on is zoom out. And to
your point, think about the impact we're leaving for the future generations.
You and I both have girls. So thinking about like, what
path are we creating for our daughters? How do we create a
world where women can thrive without the weight of unrealistic
expectations? I think when you're able to zoom out and see that
(24:31):
it's where we are in the journey, it's not perfect. I don't know that
it ever will be, but how do we make it better?
So I would love to know how, Sandra, do
you define success and how has
That's a great question. I think defining success
(24:54):
is something that evolves. In
my professional life, I define success
by seeing girls in
action, seeing girls who are living
our mission, who are confident
(25:14):
and courageous and making a difference in
their communities. That's really how I define
success. I think it's seeing the
work come to fruition. So that's where I get my
professional satisfaction. I think that
(25:34):
success, they're short-term and long-term. And I
think that we need to think about our
families as well as our friendships, as
well as our professional life. So, you know, success in my family
might be about health and wellness and
great experiences together and seeing
(25:56):
my daughters flourish. And, you
know, that might be how we define success there in
terms of friendships, you know, also having great experiences, maintaining
strong connections. I think a lot
of my success is about relationships as
(26:17):
well. And again, really speaks to this concept of
sisterhood. I think that having a network
of support is an aspect of success. And
again, because I'm motivated by a
nonprofit mission, making a
difference in community is really an aspect
(26:41):
of success. So if
I think about the legacy that I want to leave, it's about making
sure that more girls are having the opportunity to
develop into the leaders of tomorrow, whatever that path
looks like for them. But I want to make sure that I'm
thinking about the next generation of girls and
(27:05):
providing them with resources and opportunities to make the world better.
It really drives me. So those are
Yeah, I can see why it drives you. I think you and I share that passion for sure.
What I think about is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who very
(27:28):
much believes that, you know, women should have a seat at the table wherever
decisions are being made. And I think that's very
inspiring, as well. She
happens to be, she was a member
of my sorority. So I love that even more, full circle.
(27:48):
But I think that's another great, great quote,
speaking to the need for sisterhood
Incredible, incredible insights.
Sandra, I want to thank you for being here, sharing your insights and expertise.
And, you know, on behalf of the girls of Northern New
(28:11):
Jersey, and personally, I want to thank you for the work that you're doing
in paving the way for the next generation. How
Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity. And
I know we do some really inspirational and great work
together. So thank you for your leadership. And, and
(28:32):
for your girls that are doing great things in
their Girl Scouting journey. To connect with me,
you can visit our website, which is Girl Scouts of Northern New
Jersey. It's gsnnj.org. And
Perfect. And we know that money can't buy happiness, but it
(28:55):
can buy you Girl Scout cookies. And that's kind of the same thing. So I
want to make sure that you're going out there and supporting your young female entrepreneurs,
especially during cookie season. And if you need a cookie dealer, please reach
out. You can visit my website at giallacqua.com. And of course,
reach out to me on Instagram at giallacqua with thoughts, feedback, comments,
and questions that you have. This is Gia signing off
(29:16):
with gratitude for your time and energy. Our mic drops, but
the movement continues. Until next time, your next chapter
is waiting. Take care. That concludes another empowering episode
of Your Future Starts Now. Before we wrap up, I want to thank this
incredible community of high-achieving women. Your energy, resilience,
and commitment to growth are the driving force behind what we do.
(29:38):
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate it, leave a review, and don't forget
to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your feedback fuels our
mission to empower high-achieving women just like you. And of
course, share Your Future Starts Now with the extraordinary women in
your life who are also on a journey of healing and empowerment. Connect
with us on social media, share your thoughts, let us know what topics you'd like to
explore in future episodes. Stay connected on Instagram at
(30:01):
GiaLacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
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