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Your Questions About the Book, Answered:Q. How can high-achieving women leaders relate to Barbara Jordan’s story?A. "What they often overlook is that she was a woman who stumbled her way (through life's ups and downs) into her leadership purpose... by pursuing work that she loved... work that really mattered to her... work that allow her to use her natural abilities... (including public speaking)... and, and, and... she did all of this in service to something beyond herself.
She overcame the odds against her and became a true example of a high-achieving woman who lived out her leadership purpose. In this book, I describe how and why she did that." |
Q. What is your hope for readers of this book?
A. "The book is about a woman (Barbara Jordan) in political leadership and how she lived out her leadership purpose through her career in politics in a unique and compelling way. I hope the story of her life and work is an inspiration and encouragement for you to pursue your leadership purpose."
Q. What gave you the inspiration to write about this topic?
A. "I wanted to write about a topic that interested me and inspired others. I chose a topics that engaged a few of my passions - one for the study of women in leadership, two for women public speakers, and three, for African American women. Coincidentally, someone mentioned Barbara Jordan, who at the time I had never heard of. I listened to one of her speeches and noticed that she was a such a compelling speaker. That made me curious about her life, leadership, and career. That’s when I started my research."
Q. Did you learn something that was especially exciting or surprising about Barbara Jordan?
A. "Yes! As I studied her life, and especially her early life and career. It was fascinating to me to see how she stumbled into her leadership purpose. I realized it was because she used a combination of following her passions, following her values, and doing the things that came naturally to her to do, all in service to a greater cause. When I learned that I began to think about and eventually I create my signature system - The 4 Keys to Discover Your Leadership Purpose. I saw those 4 keys clearly demonstrated in her Barbara Jordan's life and career and recognized them in my own career."
Who is Barbara Jordan?
Illustrated by
Andrè Gary
Barbara C. Jordan (1936-1996) was born in the poverty-stricken Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas in 1936. Her father was a Baptist minister and her mother was a domestic worker. In high school and college, Jordan displayed extraordinary orating and debating skills. She graduated at the top of her class at Texas Southern University and went on to earn a law degree from Boston University.
Jordan began her distinguished public service career in 1966 when she was elected to the Texas State Senate. She became the first African American elected to that body since 1883. In 1972, she became the first African American woman from the South to be elected to the United States Congress, where she served as a member of the House of Representatives until 1979.
The highlights of Jordan’s career include her landmark speech during Richard Nixon’s impeachment hearings in 1974, her successful efforts in 1975 to expand the Voting Rights Act to include language minorities, and her keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1976. She was the first African American woman to deliver that address. From 1979 until her death in 1996, Jordan served as distinguished professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
Listen to an Excerpt of Barbara Jordan's
Leadership Purpose in Action
Hear the iconic phrase "My faith in the constitution is whole" in the video below.