#364 Sihame El Kaouakibi: Burnout, Bankruptcy, and the Beauty of Reinvention—Part Two
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Who is Sihame El Kaouakibi and what is her background?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist humility for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. How do I even begin to introduce our first guest from Belgium who has Moroccan roots? Her name is Siham El-Kawakibi. She is a Moroccan immigrant, a burnout and bankruptcy survivor, a parliamentarian, a champion of diversity and inclusion. She is also the creator of Women Leaders OS and a Women's Leadership Coach. She is all these and more. Beyond these identities, what truly impresses me are the experiences that have shaped these transformations. Some people thrive in politics. others in stability.
Siham thrives in adversity. She describes herself as more than resilient. She is anti-fragile. I see her as someone who has learned over time to turn adversity into an advantage. is not an inborn talent, rather is something nurtured and developed. How? Let's find out. Politics, whether in government or the office, is something that some people are really good at navigating. Some people thrive in it and even seek out more of it. It sounds like you saw Parliament as a stage to make a positive impact on the communities you care about. Your intentions were noble. but the environment made things worse. Not only were you unable to create the impact you wanted, but you also faced various attacks and toxic behavior. The same goes for office environments.
Many corporate workers might be incredibly smart and capable, but they struggle to climb the corporate ladder. because they either don't play politics, don't play it well, or aren't willing to play it at all. I've been in the corporate world, and I've seen and experienced my share of political maneuvering. I've had my own struggles with mental health due to corporate politics. That's part of why I decided to become an entrepreneur, a free agent, rather than being bound or controlled by that environment. For many people, whether they are considering a job change, a career shift, or even trying to change the world as an entrepreneur, one key takeaway is to choose your environment and culture carefully. In certain cultures and environments, you can thrive and excel.
How does environment affect career success?
In others, you might struggle. It doesn't mean you are not smart or that your intentions are not good enough. Often, it's the environment and the culture that holds you back, preventing you from achieving what you want to achieve. That's been my experience.
Beautiful. Yeah, I can relate. I can relate. The environment is everything. If you feel you're surviving instead of thriving, you need to quit. You need to leave. Because a lot of women that I guide now, some of them really start, they're really these beautiful, amazing women, high positions. And they're still sometimes like in this environment with these political games, toxic leadership, and they stay. I'm like, okay, what's the plan? And the strange thing is that they cling, they're just holding this situation, holding... it's holding them back they're just stuck and sometimes it's better to accept the rejection than feeling stuck i think so if the environment the toxic environment feels like a rejection maybe it's better rejection can be redirection and it's sometimes better to just leave and i think the most liberating decision can be to move on
Why is it important to leave toxic environments?
And like you said, you need to find your tribe, you need to find your environment so you can try. But it's confronting, right? Being rejected. Why is someone toxic? It's like, for example, for women. Of course, more and more women go into leadership positions. They're needed, okay? And feminine leadership is actually based on empathy, emotional intelligence, also inclusivity. And... I know that, and I was one of them, that it's no longer true that women need to mimic masculine or male leaders. No. I think we should embrace our strengths, lead with our authentic selves. And I think we can relate. I don't know if you experienced it, but I've experienced so many times being irritated or too emotional after just being me in stating my points in a meeting with a lot of fashion.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who is Sihame El Kaouakibi and what is her background?
0:12–4:28
2
How does environment affect career success?
4:28–5:40
3
Why is it important to leave toxic environments?
5:40–7:36
4
What is Women Leaders OS and how does it help women?
7:36–12:25
5
How does Sihame support women globally?
12:25–18:54
6
What are the cultural challenges for women leaders?
18:54–34:48
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Chief Change Officer™: Ensemble
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