Breaking Barriers: Strategies For Increasing Female Presence In Leadership Roles- Learn Event Part Two

Greetings from the international airport in Riyadh, Where I just ate some really dodgy food in the airport lounge. I am on my way back home from two invigorating days at the Learn Event in Riyadh.

I promised to share with you what I have been learning, and I am a girl who likes to keep her promises as best as I can.

Look at the topic of the article. I swear this topic has been following me lately, and I do not know why, but I believe in signs, and I think this is one.

Following the fab WELN summit two weeks ago in Dubai, I was again asked to give my two shillings on this same topic here in Riyadh. Hannah Wilson FCCT FRSA ACC, Tracy Moxley , Rebecca Annand , Emma Downie , Lauren Brennan , Suzanne Watson , Paola Wingrove and Fiona Cottam FCCT

Can you believe the coincidence?

Now you know that a panel's success depends on its members. Well, ours thrived because I was joined by the amazing, Kam Chohan , Dr. H.C. Faiza Mubeen and Nadia Alshahrani, PhD as our expert host. Before going on stage, we agreed on a few ground rules.

1. We did not want this to be just a talk. We wanted everyone present to get involved and commit to doing one thing to help break barriers and advance women in leadership.
2. We wanted the conversation to be real and rooted in real-life experiences.

The conversation was interactive, and our audience, though small, was mighty and willing to lend their voices to the conversation.

Here are a few things that have stuck with me from the brainstorming panel discussion:

• We need more and more men to join this conversation. We will not progress very far without our male allies. The system is already set for men to be ahead, hence the pay disparity between the genders. This can only be fixed if men and women join forces to end this.
• Men are willing to help, we had a few in the audience and they all agreed that their role is vital.
• Women can oftentimes be impediments to other women, and we need to explore our own unconscious biases and make sure that we always call into question some of the things we think and assume about women leaders.
• We need to hold space for other women and defend them in their absence when they are being unjustly referred to as bossy or pushy when they are clearly just being assertive.
• Women need safe psychological spaces to be and express themselves, and it is our role as fellow women leaders to create that space.
• If we want other women to ascend to leadership, we need to be vulnerable and show them that it is ok to fail and that even women who are at the top of their game still make mistakes.- This one came from me- Don't I sound smart? ?? .
• The conversation around equity for women has long been centred around maternity and child-rearing, but we also need to consider women who do not have children. They also have needs, and special attention needs to be paid to women who are in perimenopause or going through menopause.
• Dr. H.C. Faiza Mubeen also reminded us that it is not work-life balance it is life-work balance as life comes first and we need to take care of ourselves as women in leadership.
• Kam Chohan Reminded us that as women, we must be willing to fix each other's crowns and instead of calling women out on every little thing, sometimes we should call them in with care and empathy.

Like most good conversations and panel discussions at conferences, the real value happens if we continue the conversations outside of the event and make a real commitment to act and do so

Please comment below with any programmes you have seen or been a part of that have been effective in helping women break barriers and advance in their leadership.

P.S Big up to my Linkedin friend, turned in real-life friend Dr. Omolola (L??lá) Wright-Odusoga Ed.D who came to hang out with me this morning.

NEW TEACH MIDDLE EAST PODCAST EPISODE

In this episode, Amanda Spielman joins us to discuss a new, supportive approach to school inspections. We dive into how inspections can be reframed to help schools grow and improve rather than focusing solely on punitive measures. Amanda shares her vision for making the process more constructive and beneficial for educators and students alike.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS WITH THESE UPCOMING EVENTS.

1. The fourth annual STEM MENA Conference and Awards- November 9, 2024 in Dubai- www.stemmena.com

2. The Middle East Language and Literacy Conference- November 21, 2024, in Dubai- www.languageandliteracyme.com

3. GESS Dubai- November 12-14, 2024- Dubai- www.gessdubai.com

4. The Sixth Annual? Middle East School Leadership Conference- February 5-6,2025- Dubai- www.schoolleadersme.com