Amelia Earhart was without any doubt a very bold and courageous woman. She was the first woman to make a first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Her journey to becoming a pilot began as a child. She was fascinated by planes and loved airshows. Once, she visited an airshow with her family, and her father paid a pilot $10 to take her on a flight. As soon as the plane left the ground, Amelia knew without any doubt what her life purpose was. She wanted to fly aeroplanes. This profession did not readily welcome women at the time, but that did not deter her, nor did her family’s inability to afford the flying fees. She decided she would work to pay for her flying lessons. And that was what she did. Then she was chosen to be part of the Friendship Crew which made her the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone was impressed and praised her for this feat, but Amelia told them she couldn’t take any credit for it as she hadn’t done any flying albeit she was already an accomplished pilot. The reason was that she was not trained in instrument navigation. But as she had begun to take an interest in women’s issues and desired not only to be a voice for women but inspire women and girls with the feats she accomplished, she set for herself an ambitious goal to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She achieved this successfully but not without many troubles on the way all of which she was equipped for having prepared five years for the flight. This feat brought her greater recognition and indeed made her a voice for women. But then she was restless and soon set for herself a new challenge. This time it was a solo flight from Hawaii to California. Another pilot who had attempted it had been killed, but she went anyway having evaluated her chances of success to be fifty-fifty. It was a successful flight which brought her more recognition. She rechallenged herself, and this time it was from Los Angeles to Mexico and Newark. She made the trip successfully and once more her recognition grew as did her fans who were now in the habit of overcrowding her plane wherever she landed. Then she attempted a trip around the world. On this trip, she would fly to South America, Senegal, Calcutta, Asia and Australia, New Guinea, Howland Island, Hawaii and finally California. She never made it back home. Her plane went down, and she was never found. But she died doing what she loved. And lived as an inspiration to many women and remains an inspiration decades after her demise (Wikipedia).
Leadership Lessons from the Life of Amelia Earhart
- Great women are courageous women. Amelia Earhart was nothing if not courageous. It takes courage to live and stand out from the crowd. If you will be recognised, you must be brave. Those without courage merely exist and die without recognition.
- Great women do not take credit for what others have done. Instead, they look for ways to earn credit. These women do not want a free ride or recognition undeserved. When Amelia was praised for her Friendship flight, she turned the recognition to the one she felt deserved it and sought ways to earn credit.
- Great women are honest. When Amelia refused to accept a commendation, she felt was not hers, she was honest. She was displaying integrity. This is what great women do; they are truthful enough to say, it wasn’t me, I don’t deserve any accolades.
- Great women accept responsibility for their actions. When Amelia decided to embark on the trip around the world, she knew if she didn’t return her husband would be blamed for letting her go and she said to him, I alone am responsible for my decision.
- Great women do not sit on their laurels. They continue to challenge themselves and seek ways to break their own This is what Amelia did. Whenever she broke a record, she set another one.
- Great women are life-long learners. Amelia paid to learn from the best. And she continued to learn the things she didn’t know about flying and improve on herself.
- Great women take time to prepare. They are prepared for anything that could go wrong. They anticipate what might fail and ensure they are ready when it does fail. When Amelia made her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, she faced a lot of challenges, but she was well prepared for every single one of those challenges.
- Great women never take anything for granted. Amelia learnt never to take anything for granted and to check everything for herself before a flight.
- Great women invest in themselves. Amelia invested in herself. She wanted to be a pilot, and she participated in flight lessons. It is shocking how many women want something but are not willing to invest in themselves to get it.
- Great women ask questions. As part of Amelia’s commitment to learning to fly, she quizzed those who had done what she wanted to do. Leadership guru, John Maxwell, has said repeatedly that great leaders ask questions.
- Great women do what they love. Amelia loved flying, and she dedicated her life to flying, learning about flying and writing about flying. Everything she did was linked with flying.
- Great women attempt new things. These women do not want to live with the regret of never having tried out something that had been in their hearts. Amelia was a woman who continually attempted new things. She did not know if she would succeed or fail and she did not let that thought consume her, she was content just to try.
- Great women evaluate risks. Before they embark on any task, they acquaint themselves with the risks involved, and they assess the risks to determine their chances of success intelligently. These women do not rush into anything without having done their homework and made an informed decision. Amelia Earhart knew the risk involved in every flight she undertook.
- Great women inspire others. Their story gives hope and sends across a simple message, one that says, if I can so can you. Amelia hoped that what she did in the air would inspire women and girls on the ground.
