The Fellows Program selects top-performing women from around the world in an effort to connect them to each other, as well as other female executives and members of the IWF, through mentorship, education, and the execution of a personal legacy project. The customized leadership training includes two week-long executive educational modules at the Harvard Business School and INSEAD designed specifically for female leaders. 

“The program with the IWF makes you collaborate together so quickly and so intensely, that I guarantee that even if I don’t see any of these women in three years, I will be able to pick up the phone and say that I need their advice, and the conversation will flow like we saw each other just yesterday,” Laurier said. 

The members of the current cohort of IWF fellows hail from 12 different nations, including the United States, Turkey, and Jamaica. Yet, the group’s international character has not prevented them from forming a connection that transcends their cultural differences. 

“To be with other women in this same position, there is a sisterhood of sorts that develops,” de Oliveira said. “We support each other a lot because we see that we face the same barriers everywhere in the world.”

These sincere partnerships are invaluable to the women in both their professional and personal lives. Laurier feels that it is imperative to work at relationships by being curious and honest—a belief that the IWF’s mentorship component has only reinforced.   

“It’s so important to build real relationships with people that are going to want to be generous toward you and who you will be connected with,” Laurier explained. “And eventually you’ll be able to help them too and return that favour. But it’s not a simple exchange, it’s a relationship that you invest in.”

De Oliveira also believes in the transcendental power of meaningful relationships in the workplace. Her vision of leadership contrasts leading and managing as having two distinct effects on employees: managing will get the work done, but leading will push people to new heights. She herself has come to realize how much of an effect she can have by broadening her horizons beyond pure productivity.

“This program has made me realize that it’s important to focus not just on work but also to leverage the capital that you gain from your work to advance social causes like diversity,” de Oliveira mused. 

The legacy project that each fellow completes advances the social agenda that the women’s leadership can contribute to. De Oliveira is working with a professor from her alma mater, the École Polytechnique de Montréal, to encourage more women to join the university as leaders and instructors. 

“The beauty of diversity is to bring something new to the table,” de Oliveira elaborated. “What we want to see is different generations, cultures, and genders. That’s when you get the most out of a group, but it can be hard to put together that kind of team. That’s why the legacy project is about using our social capital and power to contribute to society in some way.”

While the two participants appreciate the bond that the program fostered among its participants, they found that the women-only environment also illuminated the necessity for gender diversity in the workplace. 

“We often found ourselves thinking we need the perspective of the men here,” she said. “A workplace with just men or just women doesn’t reach the right equilibrium. Men are typically better risk-takers, but they go too fast. Women will rely on facts. So, what you need is someone who is able to say, ‘let’s do this,’ but also someone who is able to take the time and consider the blind spots of a decision. That’s what makes a good team.”

Despite their plentiful careers, both Laurier and de Oliveira remain humbled by the opportunity to participate in the fellowship. When touring the Harvard and INSEAD campuses, Laurier recorded videos to send to her family as a thank you for enabling her to make it to two of the world’s best business schools. 

“If you stop pinching yourself in life, that’s when you stop being a good leader,” Laurier said. “You can’t take anything for granted. Leadership positions are filled with opportunities and you have to be grateful for that, always.”

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2019/09/27/building-real-relationships-to-empower-female-leaders/#5d65b51e3151