You were never meant to be ordinary

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

What do you do when your brilliance is necessary, but the room still acts like it does not see you? That is a question hidden figures put on the table. Catherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson were not just smart women doing math in the background. They were helping move America into space while still dealing with racism, segregation, and rooms that benefited from their brilliance without always honoring their humanity. Sparklers, that sounds like more than a history lesson to me. That sounds like a leadership mirror. Some women are not lacking skill, they're lacking recognition. Some are not waiting to become qualified, they're waiting for the room to stop pretending they are optional. And some women are even they keep doing the work, solving the problem, carrying the answers, and calculating everyone else's next move while their own name gets left out of the conversation. So today we're talking about hidden figures, which is a great way as we're talking about freedom in America in the month of July. So we're talking about freedom voice and we're gonna give you three leadership lessons from women whose work helped change where America could go. So welcome back, sparklers. Welcome back to Mosaic Sparks with me, Leslie George, the space where stories, leadership, faith, and confidence meet right here at the mic. So, sparklers, this is a space for you who knows there's more inside of you, even if life, fear, failure, or a few loud opinions tried to make you forget. And around here, we use Disney stories, movies, and characters as mirrors to remind you who you are, what you carry, and what leadership lessons may be hiding in plain sight. Now we don't shrink the gif or silent the voice or wait for permission to become whose purpose has been calling us to be. We take the lesson, find the leadership, and turn the spark into action. Every episode is a reminder that your voice has weight, your story has value, and your brilliance was never meant to stay boxed up. So lean in sparklers. Today we're going to talk truth, build courage, and unbox your brilliance one conversation at a time. And this is your moment to brag with purpose. So this month we're talking about freedom. America is celebrating independence from Britain. The Caribbean is celebrating CARICOM, which is unity, culture, and identity. And so today we are bringing that conversation through hidden figures, a story that reminds us that freedom has to reach the rooms where gifted people are working. Freedom is not only about being allowed in the building, freedom is also being respected in that building. Freedom is about being seen, credited, promoted, trusted, and able to use your gift without shrinking. Hidden Figures tells the story of black women mathematicians at NASA whose work helped shape America's space program. The movie centers on Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. Their stories matter because they were doing brilliant work during the time when the systems around them were still segregated, biased, and slow to acknowledge the full value of black women. They were helping America reach the heavens while still having to fight for basic dignity here on Earth. Now, that is the tension in this story. They were essential but not always recognized. They were obviously brilliant, but not always welcomed. And they were trusted with numbers that affected spaceflight, but still had to navigate rooms where their humanity was questioned. That is why hidden figures gives us more than a movie moment. It gives us a tremendous leadership lesson. So let's begin with Katherine Johnson. She was a mathematician whose calculations helped NASA move human spaceflight forward. NASA documents that she did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepherd's Freedom 7 mission in 1961. Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Now, I want you to hear what why that matters. Before the rocket launches, somebody has to know where it's going. And also before the applause, someone has to do the math. And before any celebration, someone has to sit with the numbers, the pressure, the risks, and the responsibility. Katherine Johnson's mind helped make that possible. NASA also recorded that when John Glenn prepared for his 1962 orbit mission, Katherine Johnson was asked to verify the electronic computer's calculations. John Glenn trusted her math. He wanted her to check the numbers. Now, there is leadership in that type of trust. There is authority in being the person people come to when the mission cannot afford guessing. Catherine also worked on Apollo, included calculations connected to the Apollo Lunar module and the command and service module. She later worked on the space shuttle and Landsat, and she anchored, authored or co-authored 26 research reports. Now that is not somebody standing quietly in the corner hoping to be noticed. That's impact and contribution and comes with excellent receipts. Now, our first leadership lesson is precision is leadership. Some people think leadership always has a microphone. Leadership, sometimes leadership has a pencil, a desk, a formula, a file, a spreadsheet, a strategy, and the patience to get details right. Catherine Johnson teaches us that leadership does not always announce itself loudly. Leadership can show up through accuracy, preparation, discipline, and the ability to be trusted when the stakes are high. That speaks to women who have been doing excellent work behind the scenes. Now, you may be the one checking the details, keeping the team from falling apart, catching the mistake before it becomes a mess. You may be the one who remembers what everybody else forgets. You may be the one who lands the plane even when nobody puts your name on the program. Catherine Johnson reminds us that your precision is part of your power. Do not talk yourself out of the value of your gift because your work happens quietly. A quiet contribution can still move history. Now let's talk about Dorothy Vaughan. Dorothy Vaughn worked at what was then NACA, the agency that came before NASA. She became the supervisor of the West Area Computers. These were black women mathematicians whose work supported aeronomics and space research before a segregated era. Dorothy Vaughn's leadership is powerful because she understood that change was coming. When electronic computing began changing the workplace, she didn't sit still and wait to be pushed aside. She learned Fortran, a programming language, using early computing. She became an expert programmer and contributed to the Scout Launch Vehicle Program. Let me go ahead and put that in everyday language. Dorothy saw the future walking towards her and she decided to learn its language. Now, that would teach, that will preach all by itself. She didn't simply say this is how we have always done it. She didn't simply complain that technology was changing the rules. She studied what was next and adapted and prepared. And she helped other women prepare as well. That is leadership. Now, leadership lesson two is learn what is coming next and bring somebody with you. Dorothy Vaughn teaches us that leadership is not hoarding information. Leadership is not being the only one in the room who knows how to do something. Leadership is not walking through a door and then acting brand new when another woman needs help finding the handle. Real leadership turns knowledge into access, pays attention to what is shifting, and asks, what do I need to learn now? So I'm ready for what comes next. Sparklers, this is definitely a leadership check for you. Are you preparing for what is next? Or are you only repeating what used to work? Are you learning the new tool, the new platform, the new language of leadership, publishing, speaking, branding, technology? As we are in the age of AI, and that definitely changes business. Are you preparing yourself for the next room or are you waiting for the next room to prepare itself for you? Dorothy Vaughn reminds us that change does not have to erase you when you are willing to grow. Now, some women are not stuck because they lack talent. They're stuck because they refuse to update the strategy. You want me to say that again? Some women are not stuck because they lack talent. They're stuck because they refuse to update the strategy. Now, your gift is real, but your gift still needs development. Your calling is real, but your calling still needs skill. And your brilliance is real, but your brilliance still needs structure. Dorothy did not only prepare herself, she prepared other women too. That is the part that makes her leadership so rich. She didn't climb and cut the rope, she climbed and became a guide. And that is community leadership. And as I talked about CARICOM earlier, that is the energy of CARICOM too. Unity has to do more than sound good on a flyer. Unity needs shared knowledge, shared preparation, and shared responsibility. Now let's talk about Mary Jackson. Mary W. Jackson began her NASA journey as a computer at the segregated West Area Computing Unit. She later became NASA's first black female engineer in 1958 after taking the required engineering classes and pushing through the barriers in front of her. Now, Mary Jackson's story gives us courage, but it also gives us responsibility. She faced serrogation and gender bias. She pursued the training that she needed. She became an engineer in a space where black women were not easily welcome into that title. Now that really matters because titles carry access, and titles can carry authority. Titles change who gets invited into certain conversations. Mary Jackson did not only want to be near the work, she wanted the proper title, the proper opportunity, and the proper pathway to do the work she was capable of doing. Now, that is a word for you who keeps doing leadership work without the leadership title. That is a word for every woman who keeps being asked to train people who then get promoted over her. What about the woman who knows she is operating above the level people keep trying to assign to her? Mary Jackson became an engineer, but she didn't stop at personal achievement. Later in her career, she moved into work that helps support equal opportunity for women at NASA. NASA describes her as a leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations. Mary was creating legacy. And that is a leadership lesson number three where break the barrier, then build a bridge. Breaking a barrier is powerful, but building a bridge is transformational. Mary Jackson could have said, I made it, and that is enough. She chose something bigger. She used her experience to help other, to help open opportunity for other women. That is the difference between success and legacy. Success says, I got in. But legacy says, now let me help make the path clearer for someone coming behind me. Success says, ooh, I've made history. But legacy says history should not have to fight this hard the next time. That is leadership with a long view. Sparklers, we need more of that. When you become the first, make sure you are not the last. When you get the platform, do not forget the woman who still needs a microphone. What about when you get that title? Don't act confused. When another woman wants the same opportunity. And when you get in the room, study the room so you can help somebody else understand how to enter it, how to enter it and cut with confidence and preparation. Mary Jackson teaches us that freedom should not stop with personal achievement. Freedom should create opportunity. Now, let's bring these three women together. Catherine Johnson brought precision. Dorothy Vaughn brought preparation. Mary Jackson brought advocacy. Precision, preparation, advocacy. This is an incredible leadership framework. Catherine shows us how to be trusted with the mission. Dorothy shows us how to prepare for the future. Mary shows us how to open the pathway for others. Together, their work helped change where America could be. Their calculations, their program and their engineering and advocacy helped shape NASA's progress during the space race and help generations after them see black women as mathematicians, programmers, problem solvers, innovators, and leaders. That matters because representation is not decoration. Representation changes imagination. When a little black girl sees Kathin Johnson, something opens up. When a woman in a male dominated field sees Mary Jackson, something stands taller. When a leader sees Dorothy Vaughn preparing other women for the future, a connection happens. The story says you are always part of the equation, not as a side note or a helper hiding behind the curtain. Not as a woman who gets thanked after everyone else gets promoted, but part of the equation. Now let's talk about the title hidden figures. That phrase is powerful because many women know what it feels like to be hidden. Hidden in the workplace, in your family, in church, in your community. What about in business? What about being hidden while being useful? While being capable, and while carrying the answer, and even coming in and saving the day. These are women and women listening right now who have been the calculator, the organizer, the fixer, the planner, the emotional support, the unpaid strategist, the problem solver, and the quiet genius. People know to call you when something needs to be done. People know to call you when they need the right words. They know when they need the plan. The question is, do they always know how to honor you? Let's let that sit there for a while. This is where freedom enters this conversation. Freedom means your gifts does not have to hide, to be accepted. You can be excellent and visible. You can be helpful without being used. And freedom means your name can be attracted to the work your mind helped create. As we said at the very beginning, this July, as America takes, talks about independence in the Caribbean, creates CARICOM, which is unity, culture, and identity, hidden figures gives us a deeper question. What does freedom require from you, a brilliant woman? I'm gonna help you out. It requires your voice, your visibility, your preparation, and your courage to stop shrinking. Stop shrinking your evidence. Stop acting like your results are accidental. Stop calling your brilliance, oh, I'm just helping. Stop calling your leadership just doing what needed to be done. Stop calling your strategy common sense when everybody keeps calling you because they do not have what you have. You can be humble without being hidden, gracious without being erased, and you could serve without disappearing. And that is the leadership lesson hidden figures gives us. Now, here's your brag moment for today. Where are you still acting like a hidden figure in your own life? Where are you doing the work? Carrying the wisdom, solving the problem, and shrinking the evidence of your brilliance. Where have you allowed the room to benefit from you without requiring the room to respect you? This is not about ego. This is about stewardship. Your gift is not a background assignment. You were not created to be useful and invisible. And you are not called to calculate the future for everybody else while editing yourself out the story. Catherine Johnson teaches us precision. Dorothy Vaughn teaches us preparation, and Mary Jackson teaches us advocacy. Together, they remind us that leadership is not always loud, but it must be recognized. They remind us that excellence can exist in overlooked places. And they also remind us that the room may underestimate you, but the mission still needs what you carry. Sparklers, this week I want you to practice freedom in a real way. Document what you know, put your name on your work. Prepare for the next shift. Learn the tool you've been avoiding. Ask the title that matches the responsibility. And open the door for another woman. Stop hiding the brilliance that keeps showing up every time somebody needs an answer. Because hidden figures is not only a movie, it's a mirror. It asks us to look at the woman history almost miss. It asks us to look at the systems that benefited from brilliance without having honoring the person carrying it. This is your reminder. Being overlooked does not mean being ordinary. And being quiet does not mean being powerless. And delayed does not mean denied. You can be underestimated and still be essential. You can be hidden for a season and still be written into history. You can walk into a room that was not built for you and still carry the calculations that gets everyone home. So this week, do not just celebrate freedom. Practice it. Speak where you have been silent. Prepare where you have been procrastinating. Build where you have been waiting. Advocate where you have been accepting less than what is like what is right. Brag with purpose. This has been Mosaic Sparks with me, Leslie George, where we use stories, leadership, faith, and confidence to remind you that your voice, your brilliance, and your purpose deserves broom. So until next time, sparklers, keep shining, keep speaking, keep turning your spark into action. And don't you dare leave this episode the same way you did when you press the play. Bye for now.