International Women’s Day: 4 Maverick Women To Watch

It is International Women’s Day 2022 and the world itself feels as though it is in disarray. So is leadership. Not only have leaders had to navigate a global pandemic, workplace transition, and significant psychological burnout, but global politics have shaken and in some instances shattered notions of what constitutes leadership.

Never before, have we needed ordinary citizens to take it upon themselves to act boldly for the collective good of people and the planet. People who can see there is a different way of doing things, a ‘better way’ not just for themselves, but for everyone. People we call maverick leaders.

International Women’s Day: 4 Maverick Women To Watch

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 in order to make that vision a reality.

As a result of extensive research, interviewing mavericks from around the world, we learnt that there are four key characteristics that maverick leaders operate from.

A maverick mindset is a combination of Resourcefulness, Experimentation, the ability to remain Undeterred, and the willingness to be Nonconformist.

These four traits, which rest on a foundation of personal belief that one can make a difference – serve as a toolkit to 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, here is a snapshot of four women who fearlessly display the maverick leader spirit.

As a young married woman in India, Urvashi Sahni, was prevented from attending university classes, but in her words, 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 years old 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.

Moving to Malawi, we introduce you to maverick leader Madalo Samati, CEO of one of the largest NGOs 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 there is 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 a 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.

Nonconformity and being Undeterred are crucial maverick traits, but 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”. 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 a 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.

“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 have 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 pledged to push back on outdated and draconian rules and regulations that led the prison system.

In 2010 she established an 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. As an organisation they remain agile, avoiding the trap of getting caught in outdated orthodoxies or obsolete practices.

Annmarie’s story is a powerful one. Her shared experiences are not only incredibly moving, but she 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 decided 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, experimental approach to working with troubled youth.

Annmarie is an exemplar maverick leader and the lives of countless youth are benefiting from her contribution to society.

The stories of Urvashi, Madalo, Samar and Annmarie are stories of four of many of the maverick leaders introduced throughout the book.

They serve as a template for equipping your team and organisation to adopt the maverick leadership mindset.

In doing so, you unleash their individual and collective potential to create a better organisation, society and planet for the next generation.

Written by Tamryn Batcheller-Adams

Tamryn Batcheller-Adams is a psychologist and leadership development consultant who has worked with leaders in over 20 countries. She is the co-author of Mavericks: How Bold Leadership Changes the World, published by Kogan Page, priced £19.99.