By R. Dana Barlow
During the holiday season each year some may watch Frank Capra’s famous 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life” to foster warm and fuzzy feelings of yuletide tradition.
Ponder for a moment the identity of the true hero in the story. Many might point to George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), the ambitious down-to-earth dreamer with plans to leave town rather than stay behind to rescue the struggling family business, the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, which remains a coveted trophy just out of reach of the avarice of Henry Potter, who owns the bank and much of the town.
Certainly, George Bailey is the protagonist battling Henry Potter’s antagonist. But is he the story’s hero? Look again … more closely this time. Who’s the true hero? It’s not necessarily George Bailey, nor the guardian angel second-class Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) yearning to earn his wings by showing George his value to his family, the townfolk and the town itself.
Believe it or not, the true hero is Mary Bailey (Donna Reed), George’s endearing, enduring, long-suffering wife, who inherently recognizes just how important her husband is to everyone around. She’s quick-thinking and acts fast, often steps ahead of everyone else and assumes a servant leadership role without hesitation. As Clarence endeavors to convince George of his worth during much of the film, Mary behind the scenes orchestrates a comprehensive plan to demonstrate it.
Some may point to stereotypical “sexism” of the World War II generation that shows an unwed Mary Hatch as an “old maid” librarian in the alternate reality Clarence shows George where the protagonist was never born. But that’s just a mirror into societal beliefs and culture back then that posited a woman needed a man for validation and valuation. Examining the film through the lens of the 21st century cultural enlightenment likely will convince you that Mary possessed such organizational, managerial and yes, leadership skills (a reflection of alt-Mary’s library experience and stewardship) that she actually kept the world running while George dithered through his crisis of confidence.
Mary had the vision to choose and rehab the “drafty old house” that the Bailey family would live in – the abandoned, dilapidated and turreted Victorian at 320 Sycamore. While George sank into emotional breakdown and mental drudgery, she maintained composure and encouraged children Pete and Tommy to help her decorate the house for Christmas as Janie practiced “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” on the piano and as ailing Zuzu recuperated upstairs with her rose petals. Finally, as George and Clarence spent the bulk of the film meandering through alt-reality Pottersville, Mary organized a donation marathon to bail out her husband’s business, afflicted by clumsy Uncle Billy’s absent-minded mistake.
What’s the point? It’s easy for males to pound their chest and grunt Tim Allen-style in a perceived male-dominated world (particularly in the corporate arena even as the global population of 4.1 billion humans remains fairly balanced at 50.3% male and 49.7% female), but plenty of women have contributed mightily to business, culture and society – and no, not because every man has a mom … but that’s definitely an argument closer.
Clearly, many women – and women leaders – display compassion, creativity, empathy and ingenuity at levels many men arguably don’t possess. Does that make them better leaders than men? No, it just makes them better leaders. Period.
Plenty of women leaders have contributed to business and cultural success over the years, too – even if they don’t wield a flashy title.
McDonald’s Corp.’s Ray Kroc and his male marketing squad originally considered calling the chain’s new signature twin-tiered burger the “Aristocrat” or “Blue Ribbon Burger.” Esther Glickstein Rose, a 21-year-old advertising secretary on staff, creatively coined the winning name that endures as one of the most recognized brands today – the “Big Mac.”
That Nike “Swoosh” known around the world as a symbol of competition and quality in athletic shoes was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University. Nike leaders – including big boss Phil Knight who served as a PSU assistant professor – wanted something that conveyed motion. Davidson just did it. And earned $35 for the effort.
Margaret Rudkin created Pepperidge Farm, a local baking company that relied on her own family recipes for a variety of baked goods that drew the interest of larger regional and national competitors. When the male CEO of one of the largest national baking companies was recruited by the government during World War II to research company recipes under the ethically dubious guise of rationing ingredients, Rudkin competitively, keenly and slyly (as well as legally) protected Pepperidge Farm’s intellectual property. In 1961, she sold Pepperidge Farm to Campbell Soup Co. and became the first woman to serve on that company’s board of directors.
Who can forget Ruth Handler, co-founder and president of toymaker Mattel Inc., creator of the Barbie doll in 1959 and encouraged her husband’s quixotic (but ultimately successful) quest to invent and launch Hot Wheels die-cast cars nine years later? Since then, Barbie and Hot Wheels blossomed into cultural phenomena, currently representing two of the biggest best-selling toys in the world that spawned multimedia expansion.
Bette Nesmith Graham (mother of cap-topped Michael Nesmith of TV’s “The Monkees”) once worked as a typist in 1951 and created what she called “Mistake Out,” before rebranding it five years later as “Liquid Paper.” She sold her company to Gillette in 1979.
Clara Barton, inducted posthumously into Bellwether League Foundation’s Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership Hall of Fame in 2019, is known for launching the American Red Cross that supplied military troops during wartime and private citizens during times of crises.
Still skeptical – or even cynical? Click https://www.historyextra.com/100-women/100-women-results/ for BBC History Magazine’s “100 women who changed the world,” or https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/these-20-powerful-companies-were-founded-by-women_b_12581372 for HuffPost’s “These 20 Powerful Companies Were Founded By Women.”
Historically, The Journal of Healthcare Contracting closes out each year’s December edition by featuring women leaders in healthcare supply chain management and operations. Based on the demonstrable and essential nature of the industry and profession to the economy, lifestyles and societal endurance, they’re leaders who deserve recognition because they’ve earned it.
R. Dana Barlow serves as a senior writer and columnist for The Journal of Healthcare Contracting. Barlow has nearly four decades of journalistic experience and has covered healthcare supply chain issues for more than 30 years. He can be reached at rickdanabarlow@wingfootmedia.biz.