Sonia McDonald

Younger women are starting to push through these barriers and become the leaders of causes that matter to their generation. Whether it’s protesting governments for various types of reform, climate marches or for women’s rights, young women are becoming the face of movements around the world. These examples include Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest government leader and Finland’s Prime Minister, Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai who are very prominent young women leaders in recent history. The important point to note about this, however, is that the common link between these young women is that they are leaders in an ‘informal’ way. They are not noticed by the more formal hiring systems, which value traditionally male traits, favouring older men in particular. This system sees the tradition of mainly older men hiring and promoting those who closely resemble them. I believe in shaking up these traditional views and getting rid of them once and for all. My approach is to allow diversity to improve things for us all and let’s really start embracing our young women as the leaders they can be – and that some already are! I am incredibly passionate about supporting women as emerging leaders through the leadership programs that I provide. 

Women supporting women

Historically, women have perceived that a small amount of power and opportunity are available to us—and that these resources are controlled and granted to us by others. So, when some small door of opportunity cracks open, we greedily shove one another out of our way in an effort to be the first—or better yet only—woman through the gap. We often feel we must compete with one another to win a share of influence, and we resent one another for successes, believing other women’s achievement inherently erodes our own. The irony here is that in buying the idea of scarcity and bruising each other on our way through the door, we essentially guarantee that the real power stays in the hands of others.

Through the approach in my company, I ensure that women support one another rather than compete—when they feel abundance rather than their own scarcity, and they share out of that abundance—great things happen. With my focus on taking small steps in solidarity, women really make a difference. Because we’re all together, that makes all the difference. My motto is to be a cheerleader and surround yourself with cheerleaders!

My Mission

I have transitioned from a scared, abandoned woman into a strong and determined one, who helps others undergo their own transformation. In particular, I have built on my own experience to empower and educate women, helping corporates embrace attracting and developing women and getting women into male dominated industries. Because we don’t see many women leaders nowadays, I am now increasing focus for women through a revised company approach and a sharpened strategy to “support women who need advice, inspiration, skills, training and coaching to get a job, gain skills for the future of work, start a business and get that seat at the table.” My mission is to help women across the globe be courageous in their lives, careers and leadership and I have a vision to lead 1 million women to courage and step in, step up and start up.

Sonia McDonald