This year, in context of International Women’s Day, we organised a seminar with a.o. top coach Sarina Wiegman. Challenges, barriers, dreams and future perspectives for inclusive leadership were discussed.
Sarina shared her personal story with the audience; from cutting her hair short to avoid standing out in a boys team to the impact she has made with the Dutch and English teams to improve opportunities for girls and women in soccer.
Sarina Wiegman: “People often think that men's soccer is the place to be, but I work with the best people. You are nowhere on your own, you need a team”.
After her personal story, Sarina engaged in a conversation about inclusive leadership with three women who inspire Sarina Wiegman and who are featured in her book ‘What it takes’: Lieutenant General Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan (deputy DG Policy Ministry of Defense), Corinne Vigreux, co-founder TomTom and founder Codam, and Annelien Bredenoord, rector magnificus at EUR. The seminar was moderated by Jeroen Visscher, co-author of the book.
Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan, among others, shared her insights; that many organisations are designed by and for men, and that talents that do not fall into that box should be supported.
New generation leaders
Next, Sarina, Elanor, Corinne and Annelien had a conversation with four students: La Vie Bouguenon, Esmée Lieuw On, Moos Schoemacher and Aleksa Zivlak. Top managers and future leaders had a vivid conversation about inclusive leadership, opportunities and challenges and steps we need to take together.
Aleksa Zivlak, student ambassador of the Academic Outreach Programme of IDEA Center: "Mentors play an important role when you cannot develop yourself from, or in, a safe and enabling environment."
Speakers also talked with the audience about the lack of color in leadership positions.
Annelien Bredenoord: "The more inclusive and diverse, the more powerful an organisation”.