Uncommon Threads
What do the Wright brothers, the Williams sisters, and two Fortune 500 CEO sisters have in common? They all had parents who honed traits in them that would lead them to become successful from a young age. Before the Williams sisters were even born, their parents decided that they would be tennis champions. Long before the Wright brothers were the first to fly, their parents cultivated the skills and inventive spirit that led them to their groundbreaking inventions. And, decades before the Sullivan sisters dazzled the business world, their childhoods looked like a sophisticated leadership development program teaching them the skills and mindsets necessary to rise through the ranks to CEO.
After reaching the pinnacles of success, each of these extraordinary people cite(d) specific ways their parents prepared them to go the distance. Serena and Venus Williams tout parents who instilled in them the values of competition and resilience that would lead them to become two of the most successful tennis players of all time. While they credit their mother with teaching them to be the strong women they are, their father is considered by many to be one of the best self-taught tennis coaches in history.
How did Orville and Wilbur Wright prepare to become the pioneers of flight? Orville once said, “We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to investigate whatever aroused our curiosity.” Their mother, Susan, who is referred to as the mother of flight, was an inventor herself and apt to solve household problems by designing and building her own appliances. Ever committed to developing her sons’ creative minds, Susan allowed her sons to take days off of school when they were engaged in stimulating projects.
Similarly, in the Sullivan home, it was assumed the sisters would become successful business leaders. They were emboldened by their mother who told them that ambition was a feminine trait. Their father took them to work long
before it was in vogue. And, almost every single Sullivan childhood touchpoint was handled by their parents with an eye toward developing in their daughters the skills and traits they would one day rely upon when leading major endeavors.
Given how rare* it is for women to be at the helm of major corporations, it is noteworthy that the two eldest Sullivan-sisters became CEO of Campbell’s soup and Frontier Communications — collectively managing over 13 Billion in Profit and Loss responsibility and employing over 37,000 people. Their younger sisters each experienced tremendous business success themselves.
In the Williams, Wright and Sullivan homes, cultivating environments that prepared their children to overcome the obstacles they would face as adults, was serious business. Their parents’ success is worthy of our admiration and attention. And, we, at ABC to CEO, are doing our best to learn from these great teachers so that we can bring the lessons to young women everywhere.
Our mission, at ABC to CEO, is to inspire and prepare young women to become not just a leader but the leader. To that end, we’ve identified 17 traits associated with CEO success. For young girls, we have written stories to inspire them to want to develop these traits and for young women we have content that will help them navigate the “maze” to the top leadership position. Please visit our website to see how we can work together to prepare young women for the possibility.
*Check out Melinda Gates' recent article about her commitment to addressing this problem.