Women leaders: where are you?

Published on by Isabelle Francois Category: women leadership

I was invited to a significant number of workshops live and on-line this week on women in leadership. The fact that we need more women in leadership is an oxymoron. We now have robust data and it speaks for itself. Do you know the percentage of women CEOs among the Fortune 500? It is a ridiculous four percent… this is not the worst part! The fact that it seems to be going down in 2018 is shocking. It is simply unacceptable and hard to understand when you know that women represent 57 percent of college students, and about 37 percent of managers. Do I need to remind ourselves that we are talking of half of the population? How is it that women do not make it to the top? Read more

Leadership: a time for everything

Published on by Isabelle Francois Category: leadership

Much like in parenting, there are different phases in leadership. Let’s be clear: when you become a parent, you are parent forevermore. Well, once a leader always a leader! The job is far from static, though. As children grow, parenting roles change and you change with them. Where it really hits home is when a child graduates and leaves home. The independence of a child means an empty nest feeling for the parents. You may or may not have reached that stage–beware! Whether or not you feel good about your children’s achievements, the empty nest is a mixed feeling. You are losing a part of yourself! This may also be an exciting opportunity to rediscover who you are beside a mother-father figure, and relate to your child as a human being. Read more

Leadership at home

Published on by Isabelle Francois Category: leadership

Leadership for me came from my experiences at home, as an only child often home alone and later as a single mom with a demanding job and an only child of my own. I grew up exploring independence and freedom, and I matured discovering the challenges of non-attachment. Issues of leadership in the work space felt much easier in comparison, and often came naturally. With hindsight, I believe that parenting is where leadership becomes most challenging and offers the biggest rewards. I long felt that the hardest thing for parents was to allow their children to experiment for themselves and become whomever these children wanted for themselves, first leading and then supporting them from behind. Then I discovered that perhaps the biggest challenge of all lies with appreciating and embracing the opposite of leadership and nurture the needy child behind the leader, not only in a child but in ourselves. Read more

Do you enjoy roller coasters?

Published on by Isabelle Francois Category: leadership

Have you noticed how life often throws you a curveball when you least expect it? For me, curveballs have always been a way for life to remind me that I am not in charge, or to keep me awake, because let’s face it, life is unpredictable. The more we think that we have it under control, the more we seek security, the least prepared we are for life and the unexpected. I am starting to realize that the ability to accept what is coming my way and release my original plan–the way I think my life should unfold–is the way to go! Read more