Thank you Sheryl K. Sandberg and Lean In for launching the #MentorHer campaign asking men to commit to mentoring women. At PROMOTE, we know #MaleAllies are vital to creating a more inclusive culture - our male Special Operations mentors have been mentoring military women since we launched in 2016. And we're privileged to have experts on this topic, Dr. David Smith and Dr. Brad Johnson, on our Board of Advisors. We also congratulate then on their book (Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women) for making GEN Jospeh Votel's USCENTCOM Commander's reading list!
Promote shared Indiana University ROTC's post.
Thank you LTC Todd Burkhardt and Indiana University Army ROTC program for inviting Promote Leadership to discuss inclusion and innovation with the Bison Battalion! Your phenomenal cadets asked thoughtful questions and we were impressed by their genuine desire to become inclusive leaders who value cognitive diversity. It was great to see members of the United States Air Force ROTC program there as well- working with and sharing best practices across services is vital to solving our most complex security challenges. We commend this group's commitment to serve our country and stand ready to support this next generation of national security leaders.
Ashley Nico Lyla Kohistany Brian Petit Chaveso Cook Whitney Kassel Matthew Franklin
Lyla Kohistany President and Co-Founder of PROMOTE talked with IU Army and Air Force ROTC yesterday in order to increase awareness, develop a shared understandi...ng, and stress the importance of mentoring which is a fundamental part in leadership development. Additionally, Lyla discussed why there is strength in diversity and why military leaders view inclusion as a national security imperative based on changing US demographics. Lyla brings an incredible amount of knowledge to this topic as a former US Navy officer and working with Special Operations Command for the last 10 years. In 2013-14, she served as the Cultural Advisor to the Commanding General at the NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan/Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan headquartered in Kabul.
#BoldWarriorBrigade
http://www.promoteleadership.org/
Our goal on #GivingTuesday - to raise $5,000. In 2018, we're planning workshops near bases in VA, FL, and CA but we can't do it without you. With your help, we can continue to facilitate events focused on creating innovative and inclusive leaders. http://www.promoteleadership.org/donate/
Save the date: #GivingTuesday 2017 is November 28th. PROMOTE is proud to be a part of the global celebration of giving. Visit givingtuesday.org to find out more! Help us show the next generation of leaders your commitment to diversity of thought, leadership development, and mentorship.
Promote added 3 new photos.
Promote Leadership Co-Founder Nicole Alexander and Chief Strategist Ashley Nico presented their best practices and lessons learned from counter-terrorism deployments at the NATO Terrorism Experts conference in Turkey. Thank you to our Turkish and NATO partners for recognizing the value of diverse perspectives.
Making things happen....get involved or donate today! But most importantly, share this post...we're all in this together!
http://www.fayobserver.com/…/promote-pushes-for-diversity-t…
If you are in the Fayetteville area on October 20th come join PROMOTE and Military Mentors at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum for a day of interative seminars of Mentorship and Leadership Development. Go to the eventbrite page for information on how to register
PROMOTE was privileged to be a sponsor and join in at the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation Fundraiser. Excited to learn that GEN (R) George Casey also sponsored a mentorship program for military women leaders! We were proud to honor our fallen heroes and to join ScoutComms, Inc., Got Your 6, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Pat Tillman Foundation as sponsors.
Promote shared Leaders Huddle's post.
Thank you Leaders Huddle for inviting us to speak on your podcast! Check us out to learn more about Promote Leadership, #mentorship, and #leadershipdevelopment.
Episode 23 featuring the founders of Promote Leadership on the topic of #mentoring across genders in the military is up on iTunes.
Check it out and leave a rat...ing!
Promote Leadership recently became "Friends" with Catalyst. We are excited to be associated with this great organization.
http://www.catalyst.org/strategic-alliances-friends
Promote shared The Corner of the Court Project's photo.
Check out Lyla's personal story about mentorship and the power of #MaleAllies. Thanks The Corner of the Court Project for featuring PROMOTE's leader. #mentorship #leadershipdevelopment
"My family emigrated from Afghanistan to the U.S. in 1982, a few months before my third birthday. I grew up in a conservative Sunni Muslim home. When I turned... 12, my father planned to take me from our home in Springfield, Virginia to Afghanistan so he could arrange my marriage to a man in his 50s.
My older brother Bashir, an enlisted U.S. Navy Corpsman in San Diego at the time, convinced my father to allow me and my mother to move in with him so I could continue my education. When my father was killed during his trip overseas, a 19-year-old Bashir legally adopted me since my mother did not speak English. In addition to working long shifts at the military hospital and making very little money as a junior enlisted sailor, he worked weekends at a civilian clinic so he could afford our spartan two-bedroom apartment. After years of us living off mainly beans and rice, he fought to get into a Bachelor’s program so he could become an officer. His commitment to taking care of me and our mother was his primary motivator to work harder and reach higher.
As an officer, he volunteered for multiple deployments to Afghanistan. I followed in his footsteps by joining the Navy but he insisted I become an officer as well. He helped me prepare for college interviews and complete my applications. He also said he would take on additional jobs in order to pay for my college education.
Thankfully, I received a Navy ROTC scholarship and graduated from Penn State in 2001. I served on active duty until 2007 as a Surface Warfare and then Intelligence officer, completing a deployment to Afghanistan as a counter-terrorism analyst. Since leaving the military, I continued to serve as a counter-insurgency analyst, instructor, and advisor.
I’m graduating in May with a Master’s from Georgetown University and will apply for Ph.D. in 2018. I’m the first woman in my family to earn a high school diploma, attend a university, join the military, and open a small business. None of these achievements would have been possible without my brother’s encouragement and support.
My brother has been my role model, my mentor, and my champion my entire life. He is, without a doubt, the most selfless man I know. He taught me to respect myself so I could demand respect from others. He’s now retired after serving 22 years and is married to a successful Naval officer. As a stay-at-home father, he makes a very conscious choice to teach his young son to respect all women (including his baby sister) and to stand up for anyone who is mistreated.
I have personally felt the effect strong male mentors and role models can make on a young woman. I recently co-founded PROMOTE, a non-profit addressing the challenges women face as aspiring leaders in a predominantly male military. We connect junior female service members with mentors -- both men and women -- and provide professional development education to retain talented young women. Our mission is to transform how military leaders mentor the next generation of leaders, ensuring cross-gender mentoring becomes the norm and not the exception.
As with all my life’s endeavors, my brother is my biggest champion and I know I can count on him every step of the way."
- Lyla, Diversity & Inclusion Strategist
Washington, D.C.
Just finished up our very first Podcast interview! Thank you Leaders Huddle for the opportunity to speak about PROMOTE and Leadership development. Look for the interview to be released in April!
Sponsors and advocates are crucial even in the military!
#TuesdayTip: Don't just mentor – sponsor.
The best mentors go beyond mentorship and advocate for their mentees. Start by understanding your mentee’s goals, then... think through her best path forward and how you can help. Recommend her for a high-profile project. Introduce her to people in your network. Find ways to open doors for her and invest in her success.
Here are four things all mentors and mentees should know: https://leanin.org/tips/mentorship
Hello Tampa! We are excited to talk with Army SOF leaders and Spouses about PROMOTE and developing the next generation of SOF Leaders.
It's official! PROMOTE has launched. We sent notice to all our contacts and supporters that have helped us over the last 18+ months of research and development! Thank you to everyone who is helping transform mentorship and leadership development of women in the military!
Check out our website at www.promoteleadership.org
Meet Major Nicole Alexander, PROMOTE Co-Founder.
"Four years ago, there were seven female officers in my qualification course. Today, the three of us remaining view the same male commander as a mentor and influence on our leadership styles. My 12 years of service have taught me I cannot simply “hunker down” and work harder without support and advice. I need to seek mentorship and professional development from proven leaders. Their guidance and lessons learned are invaluable to the success of future leaders."
