LEADERSHIP IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION
The 12-month WE lead leadership journey which forms the core of WE Africa is traversed through six key phases, reflecting our connection with nature and the earth, and the elevation of your personal and collective leadership, influence and impact. You will move from understanding yourself, others and then onto collective impact.
PHASE 1 – PREPARING THE SOIL
Welcoming you to the community, setting expectations and preparing you for your journey.
PHASE 2 – SOWING THE SEEDS
Create a shared, safe space to know yourself and one another. Make the case for wellbeing and resilience as acts of self-care to sustain you long-term. You will be introduced to a process of facilitated dialogue which will be used as a vehicle throughout the 12 months as a way of creating inclusive, safe spaces for more vulnerable conversations about each of your stories and lived experiences.
PHASE 3 – GROWING THE ROOTS
Deepen your leadership identity. Drawing from the research of Dr. Brené Brown, you will learn that courage is a skillset that can be taught, observed and measured, in both yourself and others. Developing your courage skills will shift how you engage in tough conversations, make decisions, build inclusive teams, engage effectively with stakeholders and overcome the many challenges and obstacles that come with being a leader and a woman in the environmental arena.
PHASE 4 – NEW SHOOTS AND BEARING THE FRUIT
Here we shift from self-leadership to leadership of others and building productive relationships to enable you to have those difficult conversations, collaborate effectively and feel less alone. Create your leadership roadmap: set your vision, hone your strategic mindset and creativity, see your visibility as a tool for influence and have your voice heard in new ways. And of course, continue to work on your personal wellbeing goals and the wellbeing of others around you.
PHASE 5 – HARVEST & SHARING THE SEEDS
Scale your strategic leadership and influence. See how collaboration can translate into community-building and collective impact. Work with your WE sisters on a collective challenge and take the movement forward.
This past year has been illuminating for me in that what I thought was mythical, actually can exist: a real sisterhood. Where women support and care for each other, and don’t compete but elevate one another
Melissa de Kock
