Guest Column
Messy, Mighty, and Empowered
Beautiful Journey of Empowering Women Leaders
Imagine this: a leadership retreat filled with ambitious women from the social sector, all donning capes and ready to save the world. But instead of flying off to fight villains, they are busy wrestling with their own inner doubts, juggling a hundred tasks at once, and finding humour in the chaos of it all. Welcome to the beautifully messy journey of empowerment.
Empowerment is the transformative process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights. At its core, empowerment is a journey filled with intentional actions and steps toward a particular goal. When discussing empowering women in leadership positions within the social sector, two key factors come into play: the inner game and the outer game.The inner game is deeply personal. It requires women leaders to own their strengths, amplify them, and simultaneously acknowledge and confront self-limiting beliefs that detract from their power. Think of it as an internal spring cleaning, where you toss out the old, dusty beliefs that no longer serve you and make room for new, empowering thoughts. Meanwhile, the outer game is more public and requires a collaborative effort from the ecosystem to create an environment where women leaders can shine as changemakers.
The good news? A significant part of this empowerment journey lies in the hands of the women themselves. But let’s be real — getting there is messy. The first step is acknowledging that the mess exists, accepting it, and becoming comfortable with discomfort. It’s like embracing the chaos of a toddler’s room — only then can you start tidying up.
Women are inherently flexible and agile. They seamlessly switch between roles, juggle multiple tasks, and adapt to different situations and people. In the social sector, where problems are often adaptive—meaning they haven’t been solved before and lack precedent – this ability is crucial. Yet, navigating this terrain requires women to confront their inner mess and lean into their capabilities.
Take Tina (name changed), a participant in The ILSS Emerging Women’s Leadership Program, which supports the leadership development of mid-career women by fostering a deep understanding of self, addressing gender issues, and developing leadership competencies in the social sector. A feisty and sparky leader, she initially said ‘No’ to the role of deputy CEO of her organisation. Her self-talk was a cocktail of impostor syndrome: ‘I don’t know enough. People will find me out. I am not an expert. Why me, am I ready?’ But with the support of her mentors and her determination, Tina wrestled with these deeply held beliefs and took the plunge. To no one’s surprise, she emerged affirming,Empowerment is beautifully messy. It requires women to embrace the chaos, wrestle with it, play with it, and ultimately own it. This ownership, coupled with courage, creates the right conditions for women to step into their power and continue pushing boundaries. They become the makers and enablers of change in the world.
As we navigate this path of empowerment, let’s remember to sprinkle in a bit of humour. After all, life is too short to take everything too seriously. Imagine Tina and Kara at a leadership retreat, sharing their stories. Tina might joke about how she used to think a deputy CEO needed to be a superhero with a cape, only to realise that a messy bun and a coffee stain on her shirt didn’t disqualify her. Kara might laugh about her ‘box’ moment, recalling how she once tried to fit into a metaphorical cardboard box during a team-building exercise, only to find out that breaking out was much more fun – and impactful.
Empowerment isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, resilience, and the courage to keep going despite the mess. So here’s to the women leaders in the social sector – may you embrace the mess, own your journey, and continue to make a difference in the world, one imperfectly perfect step at a time.