FAQs
What is the purpose of the Women Emerging expedition?
To find an approach to leadership that resonates with women. So that more women choose to lead or choose to lead more.
Why is this different than other leadership models?
It's by women, for women. Created by women of all ages and sectors and geographies. Real women, doing real leadership, right across the world.
Women who face up to the good and less good of their leadership, they don't idealise women's leadership. Nor do they westernise it. They don't shy away from important words for many women such as motherhood and spirituality. They know that leadership done by women is complex and layered and that oversimplifying it does no one any favours.
It's not really even a model. We use the word 'approach' quite deliberately. It's an approach that helps women find their own way to lead, gives them the confidence to do so and continues support as they go.
And women Emerging is not for profit. It's about something bigger than ourselves, about bringing more women into leadership to strengthen communities and organisations everywhere.
Where is base camp for the expedition?
Running the Expedition was the major focus of the Women Emerging movement in 2022. It was virtual over ten months then culminated in February 2023 in a physical meeting hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation at their Centre in Bellagio in northern Italy. In some ways the end of the expedition was the base camp, once over the assault on the summit started as Women Emerging turned its attention to spreading the approach to leadership that resonates from women far and wide.
Then again many of the members of Women Emerging would describe the weekly podcast as their base, if not their base camp. Because it gives them a regular dose of leadership insights from women around the world.
What happens now, since the expedition is over?
For the first few months the focus will be on capturing and documenting the outcomes. Through the podcast, the web site, with a book and an audio, with films and music. As we go we will be building the community of Women Emerging Members so that they gain from the approach, from each other and as far as is possible share some of the burdens of leadership.
Do we really need another leadership book? There are so many already.
There are many and many helpful ones. However, a significant proportion are written by men, or by women (about how to succeed in a man’s world), with western dominating voices and often approaching the issue from a corporate perspective.
Women Emerging is a bit different - by women, for women, all ages, sectors, backgrounds and crucially geographies - and the book will only be one part of a bigger movement aimed at making leadership something women choose to do their way rather than imitate the prevailing - very male, western and often corporate - way of doing it.
How were the expedition participants chosen?
We set out very clear individual criteria - amongst them an openness to learn and the ability to speak more than one language - and a group profile to ensure ambitious diversity amongst the women.
Then the Expedition Leader Julia Middleton chose the team in a series of discussions with each person over a six-month period.
Why did you feel you needed a resident expedition disruptor?
Because so much has indeed been written about leadership, there are many established views, assumptions to slide into and possibilities for group think are ever present. This is compounded by our own disposition to be generous with each other and also a worry about pushing for too much turbulence when on zoom. So, we wanted someone outside our group to watch out for us and unsettle us when needed.
Is it too late for me to join? How can I participate?
The Expedition may be complete but the work of Women Emerging grows along with a determination to become a well of knowledge, insight and support for women leaders where ever they are and however they lead.
So do join us, so that you can draw from the well but also to help fill it further with your own knowledge, your insights and your offers of support. And when you do join us, please do spread the message with likes and shares, posts and reposts so that we reach more and more women.
Who is funding the Women Emerging expedition?
The first thing to say is that we keep the costs low. Julia Middleton does everything as a volunteer. Our Expedition Members and Guides are all volunteers too.
When there was a big cost like the final meeting of the Expedition, we have received support, notably from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Start-up costs were also generously covered by individual small donations from participants and others. Going forward, Women Emerging is benefitting from funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and will seek funding from other aligned foundations committed to bringing more women into leadership, to strengthen communities and organisations everywhere.
Will the Women Emerging expedition really change anything? How will you know if it has any real impact?
We hope so. Already women are making connections, telling us how their confidence has risen, telling us about the promotions they have now felt ready for. So far this has been anecdotal.
As we watch how the community grows - through this web site, the LinkedIn group, the podcast subscriptions - we gain confidence ourselves. Women don’t have time to waste so we know that this is a strong indicator of relevance and success.
Over time we will no doubt track and assess with greater analysis, but for now we are focusing on high quality content and raising awareness.
If this is a movement, can men join?
Men will most certainly be part of Women Emerging. Many are allies and sometimes pay a high price for their allyship. But even as allies they can fall unconsciously back into old ways, so our approach might be helpful.
Many men lead women leaders and will value the insight.
And most of all, many men are themselves in search of a fresh approach to leadership and are already early adopters of the Women Emerging approach themselves.
Where did the idea for Women Emerging come from?
Julia Middleton is the founder; she explains it like this " Women Emerging Itself emerged during Covid times. Many people were talking about how the world needed to be very different post Covid yet there was no real indication that it would be and especially with the same leaders leading.
The most obvious and speedy way to produce change to scale felt like bringing many more women into leadership.
And yet it was clear that some women had had it with leadership, others were up for it but wanted to do it differently. Far too many still felt that leadership was beyond their reach in a world designed to keep them out. Almost all were unhappy about how leadership was being done and taught - ‘status quo’ leadership largely framed by men - and found it so deeply unattractive that they rejecting the very word leadership.
The trigger moment for me was when I was sitting preparing to do big leadership talk on a global leadership programme for women working in many sectors. I saw that seven out of ten of the books recommended on their reading list were written by men. That left three written by women, all western, all corporate, all eager to break into the boardroom. They were never going to resonate with the audience. So I started Women Emerging. Not to add another book to the list but to develop a whole well of knowledge that women can draw from and add to as leaders”.
Who is the founder of this movement?
Julia Middleton who had recently stood down from the CEO position in a global NGO she had founded in her twenties called Common Purpose. By the time of handover, it was operating in 17 countries around the world, inspiring leaders to lead both as professionals and as citizens. She describes common purpose as "waking up sleep walking citizens".
While at Common Purpose Julia wrote two bestsellers. 'Leading beyond authority' and 'cultural intelligence' two essential skills she felt leaders who wanted to make a difference would need.
Julia spent thirty years building Common Purpose into what is it today. During this time, she also had five children. And joined the start-up boards of many campaigning organisations that she felt passionate about, from a non-political think tank in the UK, to a new business school in brasil or the first venture philanthropy organisation in the Arab world.
As a leader she has described herself as "constantly balancing being loving with being firm, consistent and yet agile, open and guarded, humble and bold. But always passionate, frequently over passionate" and she says that she would say the same about being a mother.