Here is what makes Lillian Gilbreth great - and let each item I list below, compound on each other.
1. Mother of 12 (13 actually, and one child died young)
So? You say to yourselves. Folks of our grandparents` generation and before had large families. What is the big deal? But, can we please all acknowledge, 12 children! I thinking raising a couple of children saps time and energy. Let alone a dozen (a connection coming up with the word 'dozen')
2. PhD in Industrial Psychology
So? You say to yourselves. We know plenty of women who have a PhD. How about this, then? First woman ever to get a PhD in Industrial psychology? She was born in the late 1800s. She got her PhD, just when psychology was taking off. So was Industrialization. She was a pioneer that combined the two fields. And this was all at a time before women could even vote in the U.S.!
3. Partner in her husband's consulting firm.
So what? You say to yourselves. Plenty of us are consultants or run our own business. Well, her husband Frank Gilbreth died suddenly of a heart attack in his mid fifties. The third day after his death, she had to take a ship to Europe (dressed in black) to deliver a series of lectures on Industrial Engineering on his behalf. She outlived her husband by 50 years and became one of the foremost women in the field of Industrial Engineering
4. She was a rival to Fredrick Taylor.
Yes that Fredrick Taylor. The guy we learned about. The stop watch - time and motion study king.
Whereas Taylor was all about squeezing out productivity out of the worker, maximize profits for the firm, the workers health be damned; Gilbreth was focused on how the worker did his job, so that he was both effective and did not injure himself. She spent most of her latter career trying to unify these two rival camps
5. She is the mother of 'ergonomics'
Before the term ergonomics was invented and now the biggest currency in management (think of carpel tunnel syndrome, repetitive motion injury etc), she already laid the foundation for it in a psychology based, engineering based, scientific way.
6. She received nearly 20 honorary doctorates from the major universities Standford, Harvard and other great institutions
7. Good Parent.
Her children all grew up to be fine citizens and professionals One of her sons and daughters teamed up to write a biography. Turns out that they are one funny family as well. So here is the connection. Their book 'Cheaper by the Dozen' became an all time classic children's biography. It is read in schools to this day. Funny riotous read.
8. In the Movies
This book was later made into a movie, Cheaper by the Dozen. And then remade recently again starring Steve Martin (The Steve Martin movie did not stay true to the biography)
9. Stamp of Approval
Her contributions were so significant that she was honored with a U.S. Postage stamp with her picture on it
10. In August Company
At her peak in the late 50s she was compared on par with Eleanor Roosevelt and Marie Curie!
Mother of 12, first PhD in Industrial Psychology, creator of ergonomics, all in a pre-modern era.
Lillian Gilbreth - Super Champ.
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| Liilian Gilbreth |
I hope you agree.
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