When I look back at my childhood, my mom, first generation Bachelors degree in tow, worked four days a week. And ‘ran’ the evenings on her own at home while my dad was dairy farming. When she looks back, her mother ran the household and picked up shifts waitressing when the farm wasn’t making ends meet. And before that, working outside the home wasn’t something my great grandmother would have dreamed of.
It is on the backs of everyday women like my mother, and the likes of Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among others, that I was able to enter the workforce without a single thought of my gender having an impact on my professional life. While at the same time, knowing I had a real choice of whether to be a stay at home mom, full time employee or somewhere in between.
Not every woman experiences this liberation in the same way I do. And, it is more than just being able to work as a mom that has changed. From voting rights and Title IX to equal pay, women’s rights have come a very long way. AND – still have a long way to go.
So, in honor of Women’s History Month, we’d like to elevate the voices of some of our favorite B2B marketers — who also happen to be women — along with a few others outside of marketing. These 10+ women are inspirations to men and women alike.
Inspiring Business Insight From 10+ Top Women In Marketing & Beyond
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
@AnnHandley
“Brands realize that to trust somebody, you’ve got to know them. And how can you trust a B2B brand unless you sort of see the faces of the people behind the brand?” — Ann Handley @AnnHandley Click To Tweet
Ava DuVernay
Filmmaker
@Ava
“Ignore the glass ceiling and do your work. If you’re focusing on the glass ceiling, focusing on what you don’t have, focusing on the limitations, then you will be limited.” — Ava DuVernay @Ava Click To Tweet
Sarita Rao
President, Integrated and Partner Solutions
AT&T
@saritasayso
“Curiosity is just so important. Because you just never know what you’re going to uncover and when you ask those questions” — Sarita Rao @saritasayso Click To Tweet
Dolly Parton
Singer-songwriter, Actress, and Businesswoman
@DollyParton
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” — Dolly Parton @DollyParton Click To Tweet
Tyrona Heath
Director, Market Engagement, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn*
@tyrona
“You are not just your job title. Job titles often don’t tell a story about who you are and what you stand for. By intentionally choosing how you will show up, you make a more meaningful investment in your leadership and impact.” — @tyrona Click To Tweet
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg Click To Tweet
Charlene Li
Founder & Senior Fellow
Altimeter, a Prophet Company
@CharleneLi
“Be eliminating all options for retreat, you can become single-mindedly focused on success and victory.” — Charlene Li @CharleneLi Click To Tweet
Mindy Kaling
Comedian, Actress, and Writer
@MindyKaling
“If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself.” — Mindy Kaling @MindyKaling Click To Tweet
Miri Rodriguez
Senior Storyteller Future of Work
Microsoft
@MiriRod
“Do I believe in luck? Yes. It’s accompanied by patience, hard work, failure, resiliency, persistence and a little bit of sparkle.” — Miri Rodriguez @MiriRod Click To Tweet
Eleanor Roosevelt
Former First Lady of the United States, Diplomat, and Activist
“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Click To Tweet
We’ll conclude with an eleventh bonus quote that sums up the power of B2B marketing when it makes true and enduring connections.
Maya Angelou
Poet, Memoirist, and Activist
“People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou Click To Tweet
I hope at least one of these gems brought you a smile. I think I’ll pin a few to my desktop background.
Thank you to each of these women and so many others who have helped to pave the way for today’s and future generations of girls, mothers, women, and business LEADERS. Imagine, one day your name, your son’s name, your niece’s, could be on that list in the intro of dedicated souls who helped to advance human rights to level the playing fields.
To learn even more about the top women in marketing, here’s a list of related articles we’ve published:
* LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.
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