The Colonel said, “Don’t be afraid to shake things up a bit, kid – even if it’s just in a small way. You don’t have to change the world, but work to change the world around you.”
When I was in junior high school, we were stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB and living in a Dayton, OH, suburb called Beavercreek. My school’s science club hosted an annual canoe trip into Canada. This was a very exciting concept for me. It would be something I could do that no one in my family had ever done. I was totally on board with the idea! My folks agreed to split the cost of the trip with me, so I spent a year taking on extra jobs, babysitting, and cleaning neighbors’ houses, until I earned the money I needed, plus some extra for spending money on the trip.
When registration for the trip opened, I walked triumphantly into Mr. Hershey’s Science classroom with the application filled out and a check for the full amount. Mr. Hershey looked a little confused at me and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Lauren. This trip is only for boys.” I was devastated. Dejectedly, I shared the news with my parents that night. Mother was outraged. “Women can do ANYthing men can do and probably do it better. What right do they have to say you can’t go?” The Colonel was a bit more even-headed. “We can fight this if you want to, kid. We may not win, but we can certainly shake things up a little. But you need to know that it may make you unpopular with the boys for a while.” I didn’t care. I had worked hard to earn the money, and I knew I could hold my own with any of those boys around a campfire.
We did fight it. And we won. I was the first girl to go on the science club’s annual canoe trip. I proved that I could build a rock-lined fire pit better than any of the boys, use a hatchet to splinter kindling off of a log and build a pretty respectable, long-burning fire. I could portage a canoe, row well, and recover a capsized boat to boot! The following year, they expanded the trip to offer the opportunity to ten boys and ten girls. Five girls went that year, and the science club’s canoe adventure has been at full capacity ever since.
I went back to Beavercreek in 2007. I was speaking in Dayton and had some extra time, so, on a lark, I drove through my old neighborhood and stopped at the junior high. By providence, it happened to be Mr. Hershey’s last year at the school. He was retiring that year.
I said to him, “You probably don’t remember, but…”
“Of course, I do, Lauren!” he said, and then he pointed out a framed picture on his classroom wall of me by one of my fire pits.
I didn’t change the world by insisting I should be allowed to go on that canoe trip, but we did shake things up a bit in Beavercreek, OH – and maybe made a little bit of progress for junior high school girls along the way. How can you shake things up a bit and make others rethink their perspective? You don’t have to change the world. Work to change the world around you.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.