I-WIL-B: TALK EVENT

 
Never before have we as a society been more compelled to come up with the solutions for our most troubled times of high levels of inequality, violence against women and growing poverty. This coupled with poor governance of our natural resources is demanding much more from all of us as leaders. As a peer network group for women in leadership and business, I-WIL-B has long to acted with a high sense of purpose to steer our communities towards sustainable living. It is founded on women empowerment principles that seek to convene women who mean business, and create a platform of information sharing as well as networking opportunities that will propel our business status through valued growth. The peer network group was founded by BWA Social entrepreneur Award winner, Publicist and Philanthropist Ms Lerato Mosimane who cofounded I-WIL-B in 2010 with her business partner and Vice President of North West Business Forum Ms Sylvia Leabile.


Every year I-WIL-B dedicates its resources towards projects and activities that will speak directly to women related issues, such as sustainable income, renewable resources, access to technology, media, wellness and financial capacity amongst others. This allows women to be at the forefront of driving their social and economic welfare or needs instead of being at the bottom of the value chain.


Women control household purchasing decisions and are responsible for billions generated by consumer goods. This means control of buying power and ounce this buying power is guided by choices that serve our sustenance, then the better positioned we are to make meaningful choices for our children and society.


Advocating for a new outlook on our actions as leaders or women in business, means aligning with companies and organizations that give back to our wellbeing, is top priority. This is only just a sneak peek into the discussions and activities undertaken by I-WIL-B. On the 26th  August 2016 I-WIL-B is hosting a Talk Event in Rustenburg at Keda Lodge to mark the commemoration of Women’s Month and World Entrepreneurship Day.


The Talk event is the first of our documentary sessions where we depict
stories of women in business as part of the international online platform called ‘the Story exchange’ -where women mean business and over 1000 women stories are shared from all over the world.
The Talk event also relates discussions on projects through cooperatives by I-WIL-B women interested in the energy sector and investment opportunities as a growing network capable of generating economies of scale as a holdings group. I-WIL-B members are located predominantly in the North West Province Rustenburg and Mahikeng as well as Gauteng Johannesburg and Tshwane and poised to grow the network nationally. In 2015 a memorandum of understanding was signed between I-WIL-B and the Women in Business Association (WIBA) Botswana that links the network to over 1000 women businesses in Botswana as an export market. These partnerships and associations form the backbone of our network group and will forever be the strategic objective of our growth plan going forward. I-WIL-B is extending an invitation to all women in business and leadership to join our movement and creating the most powerful network group of women. Let’s give women in business and leadership a voice and a memorable face….join us on the 21st August 2016 and start talking. Entry fee is R650. For more information email us I-wil-b@groupmail.com

Modern female business leaders

Let’s remind ourselves that the highest proportion of women with senior positions and roles are in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations. This comprises 30% of senior management positions, which is higher than the global average at 24%. I-WIL-B Seminar is dedicated to advocating for women empowerment and the need to embrace gender diversity in the workplace particularly in leadership roles. It is our mission to promote for women pioneers and inspire high quality leadership in the women that we engage with through capacity building workshops or leadership development programs. In commemoration of the 2016 International Women’s day’s theme ‘Pledge for gender parity”, I-WIL-B Seminar will be hosting a breakfast meeting in Rustenburg on the 11^th March 2016. The location has since been chosen as a central point to suit the peer network group; with members predominantly in Gauteng and the Bojanala Rustenburg region of the North West Province.

The breakfast meeting is intended to create a platform for strategic thinking and the organizational structure including the adoption of the draft Constitution of I-WIL-B. As a peer network group the idea is to keep it both business as well as leisure which is why we have decided to have a golf clinic for beginners and a 9 hole challenge for the golfers.  We hope to see a lot of vibrant and dynamic women who want to be part of this journey, telling a new story about the progressive women.

There is a lot to be done including identifying the right sponsors and partners who share our vision of a gender-balanced work place. What is really exciting to see is a host of 21^st century businesses that make work place more accommodating to women and this tells us that they do recognize their talent potential. This is absolutely encouraging and tells us that sooner than we think we will see the change in mindsets in our society. However it starts with us as women, release your inhibitions and start living your purpose today. Join us on the 11^th March in Rustenburg South Africa and make your ‘pledge for parity’ | Email i-wil-b@groupmail.com for an Invitation

What it takes to be a true pioneering woman!

Dynamic individuals tend to have similar trades, amongst them consistency about their true nature, coupled with at any level confidence equals a true pioneer. There is power in self discovery to benefit your cause so that you start living your potential today. It can take a life-time to finally connect with the core purpose as a woman, man, animal or even the sky….everything has its unique purpose. Ounce you have a deeper appreciation for this notion then you will also be able to recognize that each and every one of us possesses abilities beyond comprehension.

As women in leadership or business, our tasks ahead are to ‘keep calm and act like we know’ we were made for very special reasons as child bearers. The fact that you can raise a family or nurture a village and be a bread winner of note, displays insurmountable capabilities to lead. So let’s determine why modern day society has allowed itself to reduce women to sex objects, punching bags and subject to distorted images that plague our daily psyche. The general mindset that says women are not leaders and the continued lack of corporate cultures that embrace women fertility is counterproductive.

Some of the best leaders in the world are women and there are plenty of researched findings that say women are kicking ‘real butt”. The true pioneer in you as a woman lies in your true essence. Know who you are, what you want and go get it…..the power lies in you! This means not accepting less pay than your male counterpart, value yourself and have the guts to negotiate flexible hours especially when you are an over achiever. These I-WIL-B generations of women have the ability to turn things around. All it takes is a belief that you are the true pioneer, reach deeper and bring your best self every day from this moment on. Stay inspired and don’t forget to do the same for those women coming behind you!

What Women Want

One of the longest speculations has been around the ideas of ‘what women want’. I guess it depends on who’s asking and if they have any vested interest in distorting the truth to preserve the ego. In the grand scheme of things, women are expected to be without ambition as prescribed in girls’ upbringing.  This may be the thinking but the truth of the matter is that women are still bread winners daytime, and in the evening they are in the kitchen feeding the nation. Wow, how do they do it? …should be the question, and most of all how can we make sure we are in tune with what women want starting with that ‘your Royal highness’ treatment from the world.

Can we dismiss the projections of what women in society represent by depicting a whole new picture of strong, self-assured and goal orientated women? Looking at revelations of cold facts that show that women are just as ambitious as men and have even outperformed their counter partners in leadership quality and performance.

Our continued efforts will require shifting mindsets and changing our culture so everyone gains awareness and understanding of these issues affecting the gender parity. This isn’t just a journey for women. Academic research shows that everyone has gender biases and expectations. Women and Men acquire these attributes, many of them unconscious, early in life. As such women have to encrypt new ideals of which they see themselves as and what they align with in terms of their leadership vision.

So in the long and short of this gender parity, women have to start carving their design and match them with their needs, the rest of the world will catch on. This means no longer taking notes from mainstream media telling women who they should be and what they should want. If you are the kind of woman who is watching commercials all day and responding by buying what was sold to you on Tv, you are conforming to that notion of ‘we know what you want”. Look around you, start assessing what you have and what it is that you really need to meet your personal desire, then find the best product, service or material at the right price. Know what you want first and find meaning by matching your wants with the best fit for your life. When you sit in an authority of a leadership vision, then your world is in tune with your drive in line with your goals and there lies infinite possibilities.