800 Women, 20 brave men and me in Prague!

​What a weekend! I got back from an interview in Munich mid-week and then off I went on the weekend to Prague to meet my wife for her bday! She was there from the start of the week working, organizing and participating in the WIN (Women’s International Networking) Global Leadership Conference 2013  ……..for all the excited partners coming to IMD next year – this is hope that you can keep yourself busy, work full time while making an impact like many of the partners at IMD do! J

There were a number of high profile women leaders from the corporate world including the MD of HP Norway, a minister from Iceland, Umran Beba (Senior VP HR at Pepsico) and a number of senior professors from global business schools, chief inspirational officers and leaders of top women’s NGO’s from across the world. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to attend many of these sessions but from the conversations I had over the weekend with the participants and from attending the gala dinner, I heard how inspired and motivated the participants were…..WIN also provided scholarships to a number of participants to attend….I heard the story of a lady who travelled 10 hours on a bus from her home town in Africa to the closest city to get her visa to travel….another story of WIN donating cows to women in Africa to help them become financially independent and empower them…..I saw hard working volunteers from the age of 20 all the way till late 70’s all having dedicated a month and more to the organization of this event….the energy in the room was something else!

But what surprised me most was how my behavior changed as one of the only 5 men on a bus filled with inspirational women and how I felt (quite honestly) in the “minority” as I witnessed the gala dinner with 800 women around me…..yes, I know my single classmates are probably envious of me at this point….but seriously, it was a weird feeling…..I know I’m a generally confident and social person but it was interesting how dynamics had changed…..I was playing second fiddle to my wife I've done that before but I couldn’t help but think how my wife, my mother and women probably encountered this feeling at the corporate work place quite often….so is it not natural then for women to behave “differently” at the work environment? is it fair for people to expect similar behaviors if you are working in a heavily male dominated industry in some heavily male dominated work places of the world?! Yet, they come back day after day and deal with the realities of some corporate environments and continue to make an impact in most cases not just at work but also at home….I know I’ve always been one to look past these “gender” type of issues but the way I felt that day is a reality and the emotions are real and not simply “gender diversity” issues you can discount….maybe it’s just the weekend and feeling the magic of the conference or maybe it’s just IMD’s mindfulness playing out but nevertheless I felt the power in that room and in the drive, hopes, aspirations and strong ambitions of these powerful women and that my friends is 800 women, 20 brave men and me in a beautiful palace in Prague on a lovely Friday night feeling every bit of the magic and inspiration!