June 15, 2009 - Toronto, Ontario: There is real value in bringing feminine energy into even in the most traditional masculine environments, as proven by Sherry Whiteway, Deputy Chief, Durham Regional Police (pictured here). She is now the head of a 1200 member force in Ontario, but it is an unlikely outcome for someone who started as a teen bride and mother.
By age 21, Sherry found herself an uneducated single parent who needed to support her two daughters. Because her father had been a policeman, she applied there and thanks her lucky stars that she was accepted. It was 1980, and there were only four policewomen in the ranks. She had trouble being accepted by not only her colleagues but also the community at large. To prove them wrong, she set out to make her first arrest, calling for backup as she wrestled a drunk to the ground. After handcuffing him, she looked around wondering why her back up hadn't showed. She found him standing back with others he had called in - all were watching to see if she measured up. She passed that test and many others but still often heard, "Every company needs a token."
After remarrying a few years later, Sherry conceived another child and overheard her superior remark that she would have been a good candidate for promotion if "she hadn't gotten herself in that predicament." That spurred her to use her maternity leave to get an education, and she was made the first woman superintendent in 2006 and then Deputy Chief in 2007. She says the "old boys club" is alive and well, but, of course, it now reports to her and she has enjoyed challenging it. Her main advice is that women can do this without having to become one of the guys.
Determined to show a different perspective, Sherry credits her success to negotiating rather than fighting, to using her intuition and to living her core values. She has proved that even in a very male environment, a woman can thrive by accessing feminine characteristics.
That's right. You can be a woman and be successful without trying to be a 'man'.
http://theprofessionalwoman.blogspot.com/
Thanks for sharing the story.
Posted by: Soma Bhadra | August 27, 2009 at 08:32 AM