To celebrate International Women’s Day, Tamryn Batcheller-Adams pays homage to four maverick women leaders you (probably) haven’t heard of before
‘Break the Bias’ is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day. It is an acknowledgment and celebration of those who are pushing against gender inequality, discrimination and the economic barriers that hold women back. But, what does it actually mean to be someone who ‘breaks’ a bias?
Consider for a moment – when last were you the person who stood up to any form of inequality, stereotyping or discrimination and said, ‘hang on, this isn’t ok – we can do better than this!’
Being the ‘voice’, especially the lone voice is not easy. It often comes with a degree of personal or professional risk, it requires a level of certainty in your beliefs and boldness in your approach that there can and should be a better way to do things. Something that is more equal, environmentally sustainable, socially, economically or politically just. People who think like this are those who ‘break the bias’. They are also akin to what we call maverick leaders.
Maverick leaders,is a case study approach into the minds of ordinary people who strive to make the world a better place. They are mavericks because they see, think and act differently to the norm. They are leaders because they take others with them.
There are many lessons we can learn from maverick leaders so we spent many fascinating hours interviewing mavericks from around the world. They were located in different countries, regions, industries, professions and sectors of society. We heard their stories, analysed their approaches and were blown away by their commitment to breaking the biases that surround them. As a result of extensive research, we learnt that there are four key characteristics that maverick leaders operate from. The maverick mindset is a combination of resourcefulness, experimentation, the ability to remain undeterred in the face of push back, and of course, the willingness to be nonconformist, even if it comes at personal cost. These four traits, which are built on a foundation of ardent belief that things can (and should) be better, serve as a toolkit for re-engaging your own inner maverick, something we believe to be possible at any stage of life or position in your career.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we pay homage to four maverick women leaders you (probably) haven’t heard of before.
Urvashi Sahni
As a young married woman in India, Urvashi Sahni, was prevented from attending university classes, but in her words, she ‘was never willing to accept boundaries’ so got her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Sociology and Economics through home-based self-learning. Fast forward a few years and Urvashi felt the available courses did not sufficiently answer the questions she had about life, gender equality and meaning. So instead of following a set curriculum, Urvashi asked girls to write down questions they had. At the age of 26, she designed a course in Philosophy and Education. This was the start of her career in education and a tangible example of her ability to remain undeterred when people, policies or processes stood in her way of achieving her goals. Currently, Urvashi is the founder and CEO of Study Hall Foundation, and presented her insights for education reform at the World Economic Forum.
Madalo Samati
Moving to Malawi, we introduce you to Maverick leader Madalo Samati, CEO of one of the largest NGO’s in Malawi.
If you met her you might describe Madalo as a down-to-earth, intellectually humble, warm person with a very contagious laugh. But she told us proudly that there is a stubbornness and feistiness in her. Described by her mother as a ‘stubborn child’ Madalo realised quickly that her stubbornness was an internal strength that she could harness for her (and others) greater good. A glimpse of her nonconformist spirit is seen at the age of nine – when, while visiting her grandmother, Madalo broke all social and traditional norms by single-handedly killing and preparing a chicken. Refusing to accept that she had to wait for her brother or uncle (or any male) to return home to get the job done, she did it herself. She is the epitome of what it means to be nonconformist, empowering herself and empowering others is her calling. As an adult, Madalo recognised the power that information had in changing people’s lives and transforming communities. ‘I grew a passion, to tell the girls (in village communities) that it is possible for you to change the world’ she reflected.
Samar Osama
Nonconformity and being Undeterred are crucial maverick traits, but as we highlighted earlier, maverick leaders take others with them. They are as resourceful as they are bold and Samar Osama is an exemplar of this inclusivity.
Samar started her career in pharmaceuticals, but her vocation was to work with the mechanical processes involved in the production of medicines. Inspired by her father, Samar landed a role as a Quality Assurance Inspector in a manufacturing company that by her own account was ‘99% male’. Talk about breaking the bias! Being the only female was a culture shock, for everyone. Despite being told she cannot do that kind of work, and that this was not ‘her place’, Samar fell in love with the machines. She was fascinated by their complexity. Yet she faced significant isolation from colleagues because of her gender. Recognising the need to draw on those around her, Samar displayed a level of resourcefulness that we have come to understand in maverick leadership. She needed to find a way to bridge the gender gap and started by harnessing her social skills and building rapport with her colleagues. In breaking down gender barriers, Samar saw how gender discrimination impacted her colleagues.
Now based at Johnson & Johnson, Samar launched the Father’s Day Celebration campaign that challenges unhealthy gender stereotypes, advocates for increased men’s participation in the home life and encourages women’s participation in the workplace.
AnnMarie Lewis
From the UAE to the United Kingdom, we present AnnMarie Lewis
‘The system has to change, and I have to be the one to change it’. These were the words of Annmarie Lewis, the first black female to take up the position of Officer in the Young Offenders Institution in the UK. She was 22 years old at the time, working with children who ended up in the juvenile prison system. Children who came into this system have a history of complex trauma, they have often been victims throughout their childhoods and suffer significant mental health needs. Yet these children entered a system that was as harsh, unforgiving and as ruthless as the world had been to them. It was not a place of reform or rehabilitation, in fact, as Annmarie puts it , it was a system that was deeply and irrevocably flawed. After seeing a young man, of 16 years old, attempt to starve himself to death as a pledge of his innocence rather than go to jail for something he didn’t do, she decided the system was broken and it simply had to change. Moved by compassion and her ability to see, think and act differently, she committed to pushing back on outdated and draconian rules and regulations that led the prison system. In 2010 she established her own award winning social enterprise, Rainmakers International, specifically supporting young people who had been incarcerated, placed in the care system or impacted by homelessness. Rainmakers International, and the later established Rainmakers Group, operate on a continual learning basis. A learning approach is a cyclical process of research, adaption, implementation, reflection, refinement.
As an organisation they thus remain agile and adaptive, avoiding the trap of getting caught in outdated orthodoxies or obsolete practices. Annmarie’s story is a powerful one, not only are the experiences she shares incredibly moving, but she herself is an example of the culmination of the Maverick leader mindset. She saw the injustice, she thought there must be a better way and she was moved to act, by challenging the status quo of the whole system. She did this not by recklessly rebelling against it, but by designing and developing a completely novel and experimental approach to working with troubled youth. Annmarie is an epitome maverick leader and the lives of countless youth are, and will continue, to benefit from her contribution to society.
The stories of Urvashi, Madalo, Samar and Annmarie are stories of four women who know what it means to break the bias. These women have boldly moved towards the challenges that stand in their way, empowering others as they go. They are women who pull the future towards them, with an unyielding belief that things can and must be better. They are exemplars of what it means to be Maverick leaders and serve as a powerful reminder of the valuable role that women play in making society a better place for all.
Tamryn Batcheller-Adams is a psychologist and leadership development consultant who has worked with leaders in more than 20 countries. She is the co-author of Mavericks: How Bold Leadership Changes the World, published by Kogan Page.
