by Nancy Linenkugel
Contributor
Every day I have the privilege of working with graduate students who want to become health services administrators. Recently I received an email request from the individual who heads a local group advocating for workplace equality for women. Her request was simple enough: could she meet to review her group's services with the goal to develop an active chapter among our women graduate students?
Hmmm, I thought. I know this individual and would never want to ostracize her from the university or our program. Although I've been a female executive holding leadership positions over my entire 40-plus-year career, I personally never felt that being a woman (or a nun) got me anywhere special; if that occurred, it came as a result of focusing on the organizations' missions and simply doing my best.
As a result, I've always taken a dim view of groups that specifically target women's advancement. That's just my personal view from experience. Besides, in working with graduate students today, I feel it's my responsibility to instill high aspirations in all of them to reach their "prize" of desired employment in health services organizations, and that goes for the girls as well as the boys. I wouldn't be doing my job if I provided unfair opportunities for one group.
So how do I convey that in a positive response back to the requestor? More reflection and prayer were needed. I gave it another day or two to gel in my head, I responded in the most honest and positive manner I could, and cringed as I hit "send."
The very next day came the reply. I saw it right away amid other emails waiting for attention, but I held off opening that one for as long as I could. Then came the moment of truth. I opened the message and was very taken back by the contents that were something like this: "Thank you for your thoughtful and complete reply. Now I want to meet you more than ever! Are you available on ___. . .?"
"Why, yes, of course, I'm available," I responded cheerily. "I'd like to meet you, too." (It's not every day one has the opportunity to emphasize again how you feel about something.)
[Sr. Nancy Linenkugel is a Sylvania Franciscan sister and chair of the department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati Ohio.]