A Towering Presence

Meet Mama Josefina, my maternal grandmother, and my hero. As we celebrate International Women's Day, I find myself thinking about how this one woman - small in stature but towering in her resilience, who had little education and even less wealth - did so much to shape my beliefs about the dignity of work, the joys of service and the meaning of leadership. 

When I was a very young kid growing up in Mexico, my mother had to leave for the U.S. to find work. It was Mama Josefina who raised me. Though she worked hard, she could never afford a place to call home. So, we would travel the countryside, on foot or by bus, from village to village, on the roads connecting Chihuahua, Torreon and Jalisco, looking for a safe place to stay. Her work ethic and stubborn optimism made it possible for me to make it to this country. Those values also made sure I could make it in America once here. After she immigrated to America herself, Mama Josefina found work as a housekeeper at a Las Vegas hotel, eventually retiring at the tender age of 86. Later, I learned that a life of hard work had led to one of her ankles fusing together, making it incredibly painful to just walk much less work. But she never complained. 

Her friends invited me to her retirement party and when I arrived I expected a small handful of people to be there.  Instead, they had to rent out the entire hotel ballroom. From her co-workers to the bosses in hotel management, the new hires as well as the old guard, everyone wanted to pay their respects to this woman who was always there for them and never missed a day of work.   For the rest of my career, no matter how great the challenge or how difficult the circumstance, I could always draw inspiration from her example, knowing that my worst day was likely better than her best day. And, also, that she did so much of it for our family. 

This Women's History Month, as I have in years past, I want to pay tribute on this platform to some of the incredibly impressive female leaders with whom I've been privileged to work with and learn from over my career. 

How better to start that conversation than by thanking this extraordinary woman who gave me so much that was valuable, her loving example above all? 

Thank you Mama Josefina #International Women’s Day #Women’sHistoryMonth