by Karen D. Swim

“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” –Dr. Martin Luther King

Forty years ago on this day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated at age 39. The day before his death he delivered the now famous “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech. His speeches are as powerful and relevant today as they were 40 years ago. We have made tremendous progress but there is still work to be done in order to achieve his dream of equality for all.

On this fierce Friday it is that work that moves me with a greater urgency. We cannot grow complacent in our successes. We cannot ignore the need for us to continue to stand together in unity and fight for positive change.

The day before his death, Dr. King delivered words to solicit solidarity for the striking sanitation workers.

“Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.”

With a chorus of raised voices we can be a fierce voice of change. With that in mind, today’s Fierce Friday woman is Author, speaker and writer Dayna Steele. Dayna is the founder of. Smart Girls Rock , an online community for girls who want to make their mark in science, technology, engineering, math and business.

In her own words: “For years, parents and relatives of young girls would come into The Space Store, the e-commerce operation Dayna founded, and comment “This stuff is all so cool, now where can I go to get something for a girl?” Dayna was always quick to point out that the astronaut flight suits, space toys and science experiments were just as much for girls as they were for boys.”

I discovered Dayna via LinkedIn a few months ago. I emailed her and promptly received a passionate response. Dayna is truly a “smart girl who rocks!”

As we go through this week let us stand together, celebrating successes and working together for change. Please share your successes and struggles so that we can stand with you.

In closing I offer you Dr. King’s final words of his mountaintop speech:

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.”

Photo Credit: Pan-African News Wire File Photos, Flickr

by Karen D. SwimFierce Kitty photo courtesy of Johnny Huh, Flickr

This week an issue surfaced which so resonated with me that it has reignited a passion that was in danger of flickering. It began with a fiery post by Connie Reece, whom I have since designated the “Queen of Fierce.” Please read her original post, 5 White Men Talk About Social Media and the follow-up 4 White Men Exploit Social Media.

A common thread from Connie’s readers was the issue of self-promotion. We may have come a long way baby, but women still struggle with the issue of tooting their own horn.

My first post-college job was in human resources and I had a female boss, Liz. I will never forget her wise words: “Women promote themselves in baby steps. We will not move to the next level until we are confident that we can do everything outlined in that level’s description. Men on the other hand promote themselves to the level of incompetency. They take big risks and if they don’t know something, they call a friend and ask for help.”

Liz’s words still hold true for many women today. I learned to take risks in my corporate career but I find myself learning the lessons all over again in my own business, and I am not alone. Many women lived through the era were you had to “act like a man” to be heard. Emotion and femininity had no place in the workplace. Over the years, we learned that “leading like a woman” actually had advantages. A healthy balance of warmth and warrior have skyrocketed women and men to success.

Women are great at supporting others but we still fall short when it comes to waving our own flag. It is time for that to change. Self-promotion does not have to be aggressive or obnoxious but it is vital to the health of your career or business. Do you have knowledge, skills and abilities that have value?
Do you have expertise that can help someone else? Do you have a solution to someone else’s problem or need? If so, you should be passionately spreading the word so that you can help as many people as possible. Welcome to self-promotion.

Far too often, I have missed opportunities because I failed to wave my own banner. I shortchanged myself and thought somehow that I was not “good enough” or “well known enough” to blow my own horn. While I will not promote myself to the level of incompetency, I do plan to shout a little louder about what I have to offer. While I’m shouting, I’ll also be spreading the word about other fierce women and men. So today marks the beginning of Fierce Friday. Each week, I’ll share with you the remarkable talents of those fierce enough to wear the crown.

So to kick off Fierce Fridays it’s only fitting to spotlight the Queen and her fierce team of men and women. Every Dot Connects is taking social media to a new level by creating connections through conversation. I invite you to visit their site, share your comments digg or stumble a post or two, and please share the good news with others.

Until next Friday, remain FIERCE!