There she was, tufts of purple hair framing her face as she stood daring the policeman to arrest her. “What if I punch you in the eye?” she queried. “What if I knee’ d you in the groin?” she challenged.
She was told she would not be arrested if she stayed with the protestors and that made the day much brighter.
Think about i
t.
What do you do when you feel the passion to be a change agent? Will you go and march? Will you paint a sign that says “I’m 87 (or whatever age) and I’m mad as hell”? When you get older will you wear purple?
Meet Frances Goldin, a petite well-respected literary agent in New York, and in her own words, “a feminist, a socialist, a radical woman.”
She is a model of a GUTSY Leader. The authors she represents are those who dare, dare to speak out and use the power of words to make us think, feel, and see a better way. Anyone of you ever read “Goodnight Moon” to a child or grandchild? Goldin is the agent who brought this children’s classic by Margaret Wise Brown to the world. They were simpatico, Brown wanting to make “children think harder” and Goldin, believing that a better world is possible has a goal to publish books to speed the process of positive change.
Barbara Kingsolver, another of the Goldin authors, wrote the ever popular “The Poisonwood Bible” and “Small Wonder” to take on the anxiety over the “new reality of living” in a post September 11th world. Joel Bakan’s “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power” is a must read for understanding at least part of what is causing the ripple of protests around the world.
The list goes on and on. There is a deep integrity in the books the Goldin agency represents. They must make a difference as well as be well written. And Frances lives her vision and mission; they are not just statements hanging on an office wall.
I must admit, I was having a small “pity party” for myself over some projects that have not gone smoothly. I was thinking about finding a comforting place, probably an island in the South Seas. Then I read about Frances and her feisty “make it happen” life.
Being GUTSY is contagious. It is a healthy and vital virus that we need to spread. And, as an added benefit, I think we should all wear touches of purple to keep us young and GUTSY!
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success published by Jossey-Bass. As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She is now offering GUTSY Women Weekends, giving women the opportunity to dialogue and clarify next steps.
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