First and foremost, I would like to thank Cathy for the leadership, innovation and standard of excellence she has brought to our Women’s Initiative (WIN) and for inspiring all of us who she touched. I am so honored to succeed Cathy and am filled with many emotions — excitement, anticipation, gratitude and a bit of apprehension. After all, how do you follow such greatness?
To me, Cathy is like “Dorothy” traveling down the yellow brick road to success. Cathy has it all — heart, wisdom and courage. And she has used her talents to take WIN to new heights. When I think about following in Cathy’s footsteps, I realize what BIG shoes I must fill.
While Dorothy’s journey to Oz turned out to be a dream, what is different here is that this role is a dream come true for me. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to take it all in and to grasp this great opportunity before me today. I have been so fortunate in my career and to have this role is truly the icing on the cake. I also feel that if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone! I aspire to be a good leader and I hope I can help others achieve their dreams. My husband and I have always told our daughter to “follow your dreams and believe in yourself.” I am the eternal optimist, believing that everything is possible, and I think that the possibilities for WIN and our people are unlimited.
We are on the eve of our 15th year of WIN — it’s a time to reflect on our accomplishments and contemplate what’s next for us. Even though it’s a bit scary to take on the leadership of such a well-established and successful initiative, the good news is that I am not alone — I have strong support from leadership as well as a great team of WIN leaders across the country … and we are all excited and committed to shaping the future together. The path ahead is not about starting from scratch, but building on the solid foundation and successes that others before me have created. Aligning with diversity and our talent agenda, there is no better time for WIN.
And so, I am ready and excited to fill the BIG shoes, click my heels and take off — its time to seize this amazing opportunity!
"I've got big shoes to fill. This is my chance to do something. I have to seize the moment." Andrew Jackson
And now I ask, what is your dream?
Barbara
By blogger Barbara Adachi, Deloitte LLP
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