Way back in my early years I recall my father tinkering with electronic gadgets or anything else that stimulated his imagination for hours on end. Whenever he wasn't working or at church, he would come home rest, eat, take care of any family issues, and tinker. He must have had every version of 8-track players in existence. Most of the time he was borrowing parts from one gadget to make another gadget work. He invented things - lots of things. He once made a pair of electric gloves to keep his hands warm during the winter only to find out that the gloves were too clunky to be useful. He was undeterred by the 'f' word (failure) or by naysayers . "Can't" wasn't part of his vocabulary. He just kept on creating - and creating. He was curious and creative.
My mother was also curious and creative. Unfortunately she passed on when I was just 3 years old. To the amazement of my father and my siblings, I remember her vividly. Over the years I learned more about her from my family and from many others who knew and loved her. She was focused on faith, family, and education - demanding that every one of her children receive a solid education - girls and boys alike. She kept the family clothed and fed with the money that my father brought in. Those were simpler times - I suppose - when women were primarily homemakers and men were breadwinners (it wasn't that long ago!). She stretched pennies to make dollars. It's possible, but I'm not sure how she did it - keeping our family going while also making room to help others as well.
My parents together created a large family of creative individuals with me at the end of the line - the youngest of 16 siblings (13 girls and 3 boys). As the youngest, I had the greatest advantage of watching with wide-eyed curiosity as my siblings grew up and went away to build lives of their own. I saw what worked and what didn't. Somehow I knew that I was destined to be fiercely independent and innovative, but I wasn't clear where this realization would lead me. My DNA - literally - drives me to be creative, compassionate, innovative, and fiercely independent. Curiosity is the spark. I'm curious about everything. I ask the next question. I ask the question before the question. I ask the question after that question. I imagine possibilities and link ideas that don't seem to be related.
Curiously, my career and my life are the alignment of my parents' natures. My curiosity makes me pull things apart to see how they work so that something better can be created and my compassion makes me care deeply about the impact of technology innovations on people's lives. I've studied and worked on both sides of the chasm as an Electrical Engineer supporting the creation of faster, better, more amazing technologies - and as an Industrial and Organizational Psychology Practitioner evaluating the future of work and the kinds of roles that will drive prosperity and well-being in the knowledge economy.
Going forward my contributions will focus on building bridges between these two areas in order to tackle significant challenges for:
I've been very fortunate in my career. It's not easy to advance and no one says that it should be. However, gender inequality will choke the life out of our economy if we don't set about resolving the issues systematically - and fast. Without knowing any more, consider the implications if ~50% of the population is not leveraged at it's peak potential while simultaneously being impacted by the explosion of new technologies and global dynamics. What does this mean for us collectively in 5 years, 10 years, +? What can be done about it? How long do we have to make a difference? I'm curious - and nervous - not for me as much as for my daughter and for the next generation of women and girls.
The cure for curiosity is mediocrity - keeping things as they are or allowing them to deteriorate. I don't care much for the curiosity cure, but I do care to push the boundaries in education and in the workplace. I'll continue creating and innovating in these areas until I can no longer do so. Our DNA makes it possible - and somehow necessary - to build faster, better, more amazing technologies. We can also exercise compassion in the process. Curiosity is the spark. Taking action is the next step.
I'm curious - what actions will you take and how can I help?
