2020 What a year it’s been
As the year comes to a close, here are my 2020 highlights in telegraphic form: from work adaptations to personal achievements as well as challenges and gratefulness. Catch up with you in 2021!
Work continued but not the same…
Supported the clients who moved with us to online consulting, training and coaching. For example, continued with Incubateur Paca Est but via conf call to train and coach startuppers about designing their company culture to prepare for growth and future management issues.
Continued to support Pole emploi’s mentoring experimentation for women managers but remotely. We finished the pilot in December with great success. Looking forward to next steps with them.
Started sharing videos about emotions at work on the blog and Linkedin. It helped many people and Pole emploi commissioned me to do a French version for their employees. More than 6k views!
Finished my consulting work for Worldline after 5 years. Indeed, they have now become autonomous, and are running four mentoring programmes with a dedicated matching platform and whole team of local volunteers in various positions and BUs.
Time to reflect upon my direction
Was comforted that my “soft subjects” which were often hard to sell in corporations have finally been recognized as critical when the crisis hit. I’m sorry it took such an event to bring that to light.
Tweaked and finalized the culture framework which allows us to connect soft, people, cultural issues with strategy and Philippe’s business framework.
Wrote 25 articles on the blog mostly about emotions at work, feminine leadership and mentoring.
Read so many books to dig deeper into myself and continue on my journey of human discovery, and uncovering of how us humans think, feel and behave so I can further share with you.
Finally acknowledged and embraced what I’ve been doing all along: bringing feminine values to corporations.
2020 the year of feminine leadership
Delivered several emotions in business workshops in Women Leadership Programmes for Rotterdam School of Management’s clients like European Central Bank, TNO and Erasmus University.
Coached several women to help them find their authentic leadership and be heard in their organizations.
Got to write one chapter about decoding emotions at work in the published book “The Female Code”.
Mentored Cathy Sorbara through her professional transition which got her from volunteer to paid worker at Greenpeace.
Joined Female Wave of Change Circle of Wise Women and got to meet incredible women engaged in empowering women to change the world.
Started mentoring the new Female Venture mentoring programme and also agreed to mentor two women through their leadership development journey in 2021.
Been interviewed in December by two dynamic, beautiful and engaged Spanish expat women committed to empowering women by sharing wisdom on their respective podcasts : Lidia Lopez Trabalon on “How I met my mentor” & Ana Rodriguez Garcia on “Empowered Supernova” (broadcast planned in 2021).
Continued to lend money via micro credit organisation Babyloan, and realized that my initial 260€ loaned ten years ago has become in 2020 over 1200€ lent to 28 projects, mostly women in Asia, Africa and South America.
The challenges, mishaps and disappointments
Lost some clients who understandably had to make tough choices and prioritize other spending. I feel torn between empathy for their difficulties and some disappointment that we could not build something together to help them through it.
Procrastinated all summer about whether or what book I wanted to write. Many ideas, bits of writings, and nothing yet concrete… And finally at the end of the year I have found thanks to FWoC my book mentor Yvonne Busisiwe Kgame from South Africa.
Not traveling the past 9 month was very weird and sometimes quite unsettling. The lack of change of pace we were used to (plane, hotel, train, taxi, hotel, training rooms, client offices, home etc. ) has been a struggle but it did have a very positive impact on our lifestyle: more exercise, more home cooked meals, more downtime, more sleep in my own bed… More time with Philippe and for new activities.
Hurt my right hand, did not use it for weeks and learned how to work differently, using voice more, asking for help and slowing down.
Twenty-twenty personal achievements
Got to eat at Noma in Copenhagen for my birthday just before the first 2020 lockdown! Yes it is an achievement … just look at their booking system ;o)
Managed to finally start learning Dutch, got my A1 certificate 🎉 and hoping to succeed at A2 level (exam this week 🤞🏻 ).
Cultivated our first vegetable garden in NL and managed to get an acceptable crop for newbies.
Supported local businesses throughout the crisis: local food shop deliveries and local restaurants deliveries. Yes it was mostly about food.
Succeeded in making a delicious apple croustade (apple pie from Ariège) approved by a connaisseur: Philippe ;o)
Gratefulness moment
Here are a few people I would like to thank as they have very positively impacted my 2020:
- Véronique Chapelain @ Pole emploi
- Ingun Bol de Bock @ FWoC
- Marta Mezzino @ yunaia
- Dianne Bevelander and the ECWO team (Erasmus Center for Women & Organisations)
- Philippe, my partner in crime, business and life ^_^ We survived the lockdowns!
