Originally published in the April 2003 Issue of Link & Learn.

The following interview was originally published in Linkage's The Daily Leader (distributed to participants at Linkage's Global Institute for Leadership Development)

Myrlie Evers-Williams was the first woman to serve as chairperson of the NAACP. In this interview, she shares her leadership successes and hardships, and shares her inspiration for leading today and moving into the future.

The Daily Leader: What personal attributes have contributed most to your success as a leader and role model?

Evers-Williams: I was forced into a leadership role on January 12, 1963 -- the date that my husband, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, was assassinated. From that time on, I became a reluctant leader. His followers expected so much of me and I think that I expected a lot of myself. Basically, I was a very shy person and it was really a strain for me, mentally and physically, to be this dynamic leader that people expected.

But through the support of others telling me I had to step up to the plate, indeed, I found that there were a few personal attributes that contributed to me becoming this reluctant leader. The first was dedication to a cause and to a man -- sharing the values and goals that he had to "make America," a society where all of its members could rightfully take their places and do and to be whatever their own man/womanhood would allow them to do and be.

Secondly, I would say the ability to articulate in these strong positions and to be able to motivate others to become a part of the team. To be able to convince them, with sincerity, to come on board and keep the fight alive.

Thirdly, I would say, on-the-job training. I did not realize that this was something that I had undergone throughout my life, beginning in my early childhood -- training at home for public speaking, appearing before the public, becoming a pianist, and parents instilling in me that I could do whatever it was I chose. I guess that gets down to the belief in "self."

A fourth attribute is the ability and willingness to be a risk-taker. Sometimes we find that leaders do not wish to be bold. To be a leader you have to be able to take risks -- not only with how people perceive you but also in making management decisions that impact a variety of people.

A fifth attribute is: always including others. That team effort is so important -- making people feel a part and getting them to willingly step up to the plate to help and be creative.

The Daily Leader: Considering the personal adversity that you have faced, how were you able to maintain your strength and vision to achieve your goals as you moved forward?

Evers-Williams: The first is my spiritual beliefs, which have been paramount in my life up to this point. Without that spiritual depth and belief, I know I would have had a much more difficult time not only making progress but surviving through all of the devastating emotional turmoil that I have seen.

The second, are my three children. They were my real motivators -- because I had to support them and provide the best life I could for them and also because they believed in me. At a young age, they would say to me "Mom, you can do it."

Third, is preparation -- of being able to assess where one happens to be in one's life, personally and professionally. One does not have to have a degree to be successful; however, I believe in being prepared - and, for me, that meant going back to school and getting a degree. It also meant going beyond textbooks and academics. You have to be able to apply what you have learned. There are many lessons in life and you have to be sensitive to everything in your surroundings so that that you can learn and grow from them.

Fourth, is making choices and, for me, it meant making a choice not to be a victim but a change agent for good. Not to be "the widow of Medgar Evers" but to be a career woman and find my own identity. Sometimes that is a painful search but certainly worth the effort -- challenging new frontiers and having courage to explore and to do and to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

The Daily Leader: What are the differences you see in the qualities and sensibilities that leaders need today as opposed to what was needed as a leader 30 years ago?

Evers-Williams: Basically I see them as being the same today as 30 years ago -- and will continue to be the same in the future. I see the basic rules of progressive leadership as being the same. What we have to consider is the time period, and using different approaches to the issues that the business, community, nation, and the world as a whole have faced and continue to face. In the world of civil rights, we talked about the need to change. That was 30-40 years ago and here we are, at this point in time, and we still have those same issues. Today, the approach is different -- people aren't protesting in the streets. But the issues are basically the same so those basic rules remain the same -- they just need updating. I believe in surrounding one's self with competent people. Of not trying to be a leader who knows and does it all (micro-managing), but giving people an opportunity to grow and spread and encourage their leadership talents. I believe in the responsibility and enjoyment in involving a younger audience and bringing fresh ideas to the table. Creativity is an ingredient that we will always need in order to be able to move forward.

The Daily Leader: You have accomplished and continue to accomplish so much as a leader. What are you most proud of?

Evers-Williams: My three children -- and I am very serious about that. To have reared 3 people, well adjusted, well educated, professional yet sensitive individuals, who came out of that terrible aftermath of witnessing their father's death. To me that is the most important thing I have been able to contribute to. I am very proud of them. To me, being able to accomplish that (with others who assisted, but basically it was my responsibility). I am so proud because they could have turned out (based on what they went through) to be very unfavorable people. I am so proud that they have justified my belief in them. They are my greatest accomplishment, period.

Other than my children, I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment is the three years that I served as Chairman of the Board for the NAACP. When I was elected, I won by one vote. That is a 64-member board. The NAACP was bankrupt, financially and morally. Everyone in the corporate world, in the foundation world, and other donors concluded that the NAACP was dead and would not survive the turmoil that it had been under for so long. I have never worked so hard in my life; I have never given so much time to any effort in my life (except for my children). It was an 18- to 20-hour-a-day, round-the-clock, 7 days-a-week effort to unite the board and convince the public that this organization was worth saving. I accomplished that as a volunteer -- I was never paid one cent to do what I did. I came in as CEO, COO, CFO, Chair, … you name it. All of the responsibility was on my shoulders -- with a very divided board. Within three years, I had completed what I set out to do:
1) Find someone to come in and manage the organization and present a positive profile for the organization (this person is still in office now); and
2) Get the organization to be accountable to all of those who had given to it in the past, and continue to be accountable in the present and into the future.

If I had to say it one sentence: It was important to save that organization from extension and to make it operable and accountable for the future.

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