Strategy: Key Ingredient to Growth and Success

Strategy is core to the vision and mission of PWN Global and enables us to reach our goals. We strive for Gender Balanced Leadership in business and society and our networks' ambition to achieve this is a challenge we endeavor to undertake.

We do know of course it is easier said than done.  To make an impact in this area, we need to focus and take small steps towards creating a society where we slowly but steadily create an environment for men and women to thrive. 

PWN Global created a strategy group to ensure that we continue to take positive steps towards meeting this challenge. The strategy group has been in operation for two years during which time we have surveyed our members, analyzed their needs and created models and working groups to support the growth of all of city networks, and therefore our global membership.

Following the research we conducted with our member base, the strategy group saw two clear pillars of focus:

1. Operational Excellence: This part of our strategy work is all around what we are doing to strengthen the operational aspects of our network to give members around the world a consistently high quality membership experience.  It's also the part of our work that helps us figure out how to maintain this level of excellence in a sustainable way with only the support of volunteers and minimam staff resource. 

2. Impact: This part of our strategy work is to look at how we can expidite positive movement for Gender Balanced Leadership in the world - how we raise visibility for the subject on a worlwide scale. 

Naturally, in the area in which we operate, there are a million things we could be doing. So, we have chosen to really pinpoint three projects in each of our strands that we believe we can deliver and make a positive impact with. 

We have working groups covering topics such as ,'Financial Business Model for PWN Global', 'The Volunteer Journey', 'Stereotypes in the Workplace', 'Changing Business Culture', 'Gender Pay Gap' and 'Handover Guidelines for Board Positions'. All topics that were prioritized by our City Network Presidents during the Presidents Offsite in Lyon, October 2018. We look forward to sharing the outcomes during the Summer!

As well as the delivery of projects the group gained huge insight on how to develop strategy within an NGO working worldwide in almost 30 countries. The lessons learned are a valuable by-product of the process, including refining our working practices in working groups with volunteers from different countries;  creating a lean and managable process, with access to only freely available project management tools; motivating volunteers including how to be realistic in goal setting and ambition.

The strategy group consists of four (current and former) City Network Presidents and the Global VP Network Strategy. In the last two years, they combined their presidency with a role in the strategy group offering a unique lens to approach their work along with a significant time commitment. The members of the strategy group (pictured above during a well deserved post-session dinner) include:

Carina Furlong: Co-President Dublin
Susannah Haan: President Brussels
Patricia Zeegers : (Former) President Barcelona and Global VP Entrepreneurship
Sheila Gemin: (Former) President Amsterdam and Global VP Network Strategy 

If you're interesting in supporting PWN Global in being a more sustainable and impactful organisation - and you really want to make a difference in the world of Gender Balance Leadership for yourself and the generations to come, volunteer today! 

Not only do you get to work with some amazingly talented people, you get to grow your own skills and learn new ones!

Date: April 2019
Author: Sheila Gemin, VP Network Strategy, PWN Global
Copy Editing: Rebecca Fountain, PWN Global