The 3rd Chief Executive Officer’s Forum
on
Leadership, Governance and Communication for CEOs of Women’s Organisations
June 2 – 4, 2014
Nairobi, Kenya
It is a biennial event convened by African Women’s Development Fund with CEOs and EDs from various women’s organisations supported by AWDF. Within this forum there were four interweaving themes: leadership, executive governance, communications and self-care. The forum was organized as an intimate conversation in which participants would be encouraged to share openly about their experiences and their observations.
During reflections on leadership, participants shared their successes, challenges and lessons as well as listening to the journeys of leading women in politics, business, and the women’s movement. Facilitator Hope Chigudu warned against overexertion by the leaders of the various organisations in an emotional and intense handout given to each participant entitled “Dear Activist.” She demonstrated how detrimental overwork could be to personal and professional lives especially if there is not enough time taken for wellbeing. According to her, “power within – a sense of one’s own dignity, profound sense of empowerment is always undermined by doubt, shame and guilt produced by the fragmentation and exhaustion of activists lives; think of how much power within is still driven by ambition and fear.”
Health care practitioner, Dina Cesano spoke to the leaders about the relationship between leadership, wellbeing and health. She was available for consultation on healthy lifestyles throughout the three days of the forum. AWDF Board Chair Professor Sesae Mpuchane passed on the gems she has picked up on good governance through sitting on various boards. Both AWDF CEO Theo Sowa and Mentoring and Empowerment Programme echoed most of her sentiments for Young Women (MEMPROW) founder Dr. Hilda Tadria who shared their experiences of being leaders in their organisations as well as sitting on various boards. Participants were then put in two groups to discuss governance as they have experienced or seen it in various organisations.
During her presentation Paula Fray of Frayintermedia emphasized the need for the participants to recognize the importance of communication for their organisations. Without communication, she said, all the good work done by their organisations is invisible to the wider public and that is disadvantageous to them and their constituency. The participants were given a practical exercise of making the case for their work in front of the camera and thereafter gave each other feedback.
Finally, ten selected leaders were assigned to two coaches. In groups of two, they discussed what they felt they needed support with the most in the next ten months so as to be better effective and radical feminist leaders.
As the forum came to an end, it was clear that paying attention to the internal processes of the organisations is vital. “There is need for to be a big emphasis on quality and excellence in whatever is done. Inside, a feminist organisation must be alive and re-inventing its creativeness – learning and leading from the inside, not just responding to the outside” emphasized Sarah Mukasa of AWDF.
Read more about all that happened at the forum here: THE 3RD CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S FORUM