Woman-synergy works wonders

Laura Barnard, founder of an agency that advances women in leadership, wrote that women working together with other women have the power to change the World. She quotes a study which suggests that women in the workplace can overcome hurdles by forming close connections with each other and sharing experiences with women who “have been there, done that.”

There was a buzz in the offices of The Domino Foundation. Thembelihle Mkhwanazi, leader of the ECD team, explained: “We had been called together for a photograph. We were a little perplexed as we were directed where to stand or to take up such-and-such a position. Then, after a few moments, I realised I could hear the other women’s breathing, their hearts beating (and some giggling) and there was this magic moment when I felt an intense closeness with the others.”

Each of the seven ladies posing works in the NPO’s Early Childhood Development programme. Thuli Shezi commented: “Solutions to seemingly impossible challenges have been found when we have brought our collective experience and wisdom to the table. Many of us not only work in the communities where our beneficiaries live. We live there too, as wives, sisters and mothers, and so we see the situations from a professional and, at times, very personal points-of-view.”

With August being the month in which Women’s Day is marked (this year with the theme of “Give to Gain”), Domino’s female contingent celebrated the fact that, as they share with each other, they discover they have gained immeasurably and are far better equipped to give to the people they serve.