So, Sowell switched over to secondary education and taught high school English and math for five years. She enjoyed her work, but when she starting thinking about where teaching would take her, the two options she came up with were not satisfactory. "The only choices were going into administration or teaching education at a university," she recalls.

As someone who believes she has the personal power and ability to make changes and get results, Sowell soon found herself at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces on her way to a mechanical engineering degree. She wasn't alone - this was a time when the women's movement had a major impact on her generation. "Almost all of my close friends went back [to school] and became lawyers, scientists, engineers. We were raised one way, things changed and we changed with it."

Sowell is now vice president and manager of worldwide facilities for Texas Instruments. Twelve years ago she started as a design engineer. Since then, she has moved to a new position about every two years and has since found many opportunities to prove herself. "I was put into a lot of different opportunities by a number of senior managers and mentors who gave me a chance to demonstrate my capabilities in different platforms," she says. "It can be high risk, in that you can crash and burn if you move too quick. If you perform well, you get high visibility."

The rise up the corporate ladder was not always smooth. Family life and personal well-being sometimes fell to the wayside. "It's not something I'm proud of," she says. As a leader, she is trying to create an environment where such sacrifices aren't necessary. "I'm trying to be a different role model. You can create win/win situations, and I do think leadership can go a long way in creating those kinds of environments."

Sowell firmly believes that people rarely succeed on their own. "I have been blessed with terrific coaches and mentors in my life, starting with my parents, bosses, family members, friends. I would not be where I am if it weren't for them. I feel a personal responsibility to give that gift back." As proof, Sowell is the sponsor for Texas Instrument's first formal internal mentoring program. She also works with an elementary school principal and a manager at another Fortune 500 company.

Another important lesson Sowell has learned along the way is the value diversity brings to business. "In '85, when I started at TI, being a female engineer was a rarity. I think that early on in my career, my role models of what it looked like to be successful were white male role models. I probably conformed too much to a style that was not me," she recalls. "One of the things that made me stand out was my different approach. When I act differently from [who I am], I am not as effective. It took me a while to learn that lesson." When asked what strategies she finds to be most effective, Sowell lists three: "It is really important to have a personal vision. This is particularly important for women. Even today, women still have a lot of challenges between family life, professional life and personal life. You have to have a really clear vision of what is important to you."

"The second thing is I have a fundamental philosophy about the greatness of people. I really believe people want to be a part of a successful organization. They don't wake up and say, 'How can I fail today?' As a leader, I have really come to believe that if you believe fundamentally in the greatness of people, miracles will happen."

As for the third strategy, she adds, "The notion of accountability is so important. I have the personal power and capability to make changes and get different results. It won't mean that bad things won't happen. You just need to know what action you need to take next. It's how you deal with life, not how life is being dealt to you."