DOZ Issue 30 April 2018 | Page 14

Leadership Lessons from the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt: Great women take steps to alleviate the sufferings of others. It is good to know the sufferings of the people around us, but we should not stop at knowing, great women do something to ease the sufferings of others. Great women are listeners. It was said about Eleanor Roosevelt that she was had an ability to listen to others, to draw them out, and extend an invitation to them to talk about the things that really mattered to them. Small women are self-absorbed and focus on themselves and the things that matter to them (as if anyone cares). But great women encourage others to talk about themselves and their interests. Great women are genuinely interested in the well-being of others. It takes a genuine interest in another to invite them to talk about themselves and the things that matter to them. Great women are trailblazers. They are pacesetters. They do not allow themselves to be limited by outdated traditions. No one becomes great by doing things the way they have always been done; people become great by being bold for change. Great women are mentally strong. Eleanor lost both parents before she was ten. Then she lost her brother, and while her husband was at the peak of his political career, he lost the use of both legs because of polio. This woman did not have an easy life but rather than moan about the circumstances of her life; she reached out to help others. It takes mental strength to do this. Great women are not people without problems of their own; rather they are people who reach out to others despite their problems. Eleanor Roosevelt had plenty problems of her own, but she looked past them to the sufferings of those around her. This is true greatness. In conclusion; are you reaching out to help others or are you too consumed with your own situation to see the sufferings of others around you? Remember, great women are not those without problems, they are simply those who set aside their problems and reach out to help others. « 14 DOZ Magazine April 2018