Marshall Addresses Conference

Margaret H. Marshall, Harvard's vice president and general counsel, offered a hodge-podge of practical advice for ambitious women at the Harvard-Radcliffe Women's Leadership Project Conference last Friday.

The conference, now in its seventh year, consists of six days of discussions, panels and workshops. The event brings together students with successful women leaders and aims to explore issues surrounding women's leadership.

During her keynote address, Marshall urged about 40 female students gathered at the Agassiz Theater to be aggressive.

"I would be a little pushier than you think is comfortable," she said. "You will feel pushy, and somebody will say you're pushy. But I would take the risks."

There are many competent people, so women who want to advance in professional life should also acquire leadership skills and "learn the rules" of any unspoken "game" which is part of the field in which they work, Marshall said.

"Leaders are not born. Leaders are made," she said. "And if leaders are made, anyone can be a leader. It takes time and effort and energy."

Marshall specifically recommended that women learn how to network in social situations, "never, ever" let the press take their picture and always say "yes" when asked if they are feminists.

Women should also not "put down" other women but should rather form "alliances" with them. "The easiest way to undercut a woman is to say that other women don't like her," Marshall said.

Because there are no female models in many traditionally male fields, women often have the opportunity "to play in a number of styles," she said.

Society also gives women more "flexibility" to be very dedicated to their families, she said.

Women should not refrain from discussing important aspects of their private lives with their co-workers, Marshall said. Women also have an advantage when it comes to finding out about aspects of other people's personal lives that might affect their work.

"It has been possible and less odd for me to inquire about people's lives and see them as whole people," Marshall said.

Women can sometimes use stereotypes to their professional advantage, she said. For instance, they can ask "dumb questions" and garner much information from people who underestimate their intelligence, Marshall said.