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How do you find your unique interest in becoming a better leader during an interesting and yet transformative event? Here are some of the answers that emerged over the three intensive Friday afternoons of our March 2026 BPW Europe Leadership Training for Women, dedicated to personal growth, connection, and self-discovery:
 One more diverse group of exceptional women from different countries and backgrounds dedicated their time to becoming better leaders. They expanded their communication skills and elevated their confidence levels by actively engaging in the learning process – asking questions and sharing their own viewpoints on the discussed subjects. The breakout room exercises were highly appreciated as a platform for sharing experiences and practical tips, creating a stronger professional and personal network of like-minded individuals. We had an amazing time dedicated to personal growth, networking and upgrading leadership skills, which we can apply to every aspect of our lives. We are excited to welcome the next cohort of exceptional women to our upcoming Leadership Training on 2, 9, and 16 October 2026. Let us conclude with the words of Silvia, one of our BPW Europe scholarship beneficiaries, whose testimonial perfectly encapsulates the essence of this impactful experience: 
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 In a world shaped by AI, change is no longer linear. Vision is not about predicting the future — it is about offering direction when the path is unclear. Leadership style determines whether people follow that direction or quietly disengage. Vision used to mean having answers. Today, it means providing orientation. Leaders are no longer expected to know everything — but they are expected to know why they act and where they are heading. Effective leadership styles in 2026 are adaptive, human-centered, and situational. The best leaders switch styles consciously — not out of habit, but out of awareness. Vision without flexibility becomes dogma. Style without vision becomes noise. Book: Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek Why: The book explains how trust, purpose, and leadership behavior shape performance. It highlights why leadership style matters most when uncertainty is high and answers are scarce. When facing uncertainty: Do you adapt your leadership style consciously — or default to the one that feels safest for you? Vision snapshot: Write down one sentence that describes the future you want to contribute to — not in five years, but in the next six months. Then ask yourself which leadership style best supports this vision today. Conny Montague We Enter a Very Unfamiliar World. Why self-awareness and values are leadership skills for 2026?18/1/2026  AI is changing what we do. But it is changing who we need to be even more. In an increasingly automated and unfamiliar world, leadership begins with knowing yourself. Your values become your inner compass when external certainty disappears. We are entering a world where answers are cheap, instant, and often generated by machines. What becomes rare is orientation. Self-awareness is no longer a “soft” skill — it is a survival skill. Leaders who know their values can act decisively in unfamiliar situations, without waiting for perfect data. In times of acceleration, self-awareness slows us down just enough to choose wisely. Book Recommendation: The Inner Game of Work – W. Timothy Gallwey Why: The book shows how inner clarity directly improves leadership effectiveness. It helps leaders stay grounded, focused, and ethically consistent under pressure and uncertainty. When familiar rules no longer apply: Which of your personal values guide your decisions — and which ones do you only hope will? Micro-practice: At the end of one workday, write down one intuitive decision you made. Identify the value behind it and reflect on whether you would make the same decision again. Self-awareness grows in small, honest moments. Conny Montague Three Friday afternoons. Thirteen women from eleven nations Four trainers. And one shared goal: to grow as authentic, confident, and connected leaders. Our Leadership Training for Women once again brought together an inspiring international group – women already in leadership roles and those ready to take the next step. Together, we explored what it truly means to lead with self-awareness, clarity, and courage. Across the three sessions, we tackled the kinds of questions that many women in leadership – or soon to be – often ask themselves:
 Here’s what some of them shared with us afterwards:
We’re proud of what these three afternoons achieved – not just in developing leadership skills, but in building connections, confidence, and community. Because when women lead with purpose and authenticity, everyone wins. On May 25, 2025, Anu Viks and Conny Montague had the joy of leading a storytelling workshop at the “Breaking Barriers – Drive Your Own Success” BPW Europe Regional Conference, held in the breathtaking Mediterranean Conference Centre in Malta. Now, imagine this: it’s the final afternoon of a three-day congress. Attention spans are fading, coffee supplies are running low, and the farewell party is calling. But instead of winding down, a group of bold women chose to lean in and do something surprisingly vulnerable—stand up and tell their own stories. Not just any stories—their real, unscripted, unpolished personal stories. We worked through a simple but powerful structure:
We also explored some common storytelling pitfalls—like being too vague or trying to cram in too many ideas—and learned how to avoid them. What happened next was the best part: people shared stories of risk, resilience, and growth. And the magic wasn’t just in the stories themselves—but in the act of standing up and sharing them with a partner. In that moment, breaking barriers wasn’t just a conference theme. It was happening in real time. Because sometimes, success doesn’t start with a strategy. It starts with a story—and the courage to tell it. To everyone who joined: thank you for your energy, your stories, and your openness. You made this session special. And to you, dear reader: What story are you ready to tell?  BPW Europe has run another successful edition of the online BPW Leadership Training for Women "Be a Better Leader" on October 4th, 11th and 18th, 2024. Held on three Friday afternoons, the program is offered to BPW members and non-members to help them build confidence and develop leadership skills.  Nothing can prove the success of the program better than feedback from the participants: "I am deeply thankful to the wonderful BPW Europe LTW Team for providing this leadership training and being so kind in guiding us. I'm convinced that if we, as women, help one another, we will be stronger!" "I attended an incredibly insightful leadership seminar with the BPW Europe association. The content was relevant, the trainers were engaging, experienced and very knowledgeable, and I left feeling inspired and equipped with new tools for effective leadership. I highly recommend this training to anyone looking to develop their leadership skills." "The training was absolutely inspiring and empowering. I liked that it was both practical and in-depth. The trainers were very experienced and shared a wide range of perspectives. I appreciated the interactive approach and the fact that we had to be 100% present. Each participant had the opportunity to engage and grow, which was especially valuable. I valued the feeling that I was in a safe environment. Even stepping outside of my comfort zone, I managed to handle the tasks. Thank you so much for the opportunity to spend these three Fridays with you!" "I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the incredible online leadership training for Women "Be a Better Leader." It was a truly inspiring and enriching experience that I was passionate about. It exceeded my expectations. I learned so much from all the modules and practical activities, my colleagues, and the trainers. I am motivated to apply this knowledge in my professional and personal life. Thank you for creating such a positive and enriching environment. I will stay connected. I wish you all the best, and I look forward to joining more training sessions on this subject." If you, too, want to feel more confident and empowered and start dreaming bigger, join us for the next edition, which will be held on January 31st, February 7th, and 14th, 2025. Registration is open now. Today, 8th July 2024, my colleague and LTW alumna Veronika Lägel and I, both members of BPW Germany, gave a lecture at the university in Burghausen on equal pay, leadership, and networking. The students were very engaged, asking many questions and participating in a lively dialogue.
One of our key points was that unequal pay has structural roots and cannot simply be attributed to individual women lacking negotiation skills. We also emphasized the importance of networking and building personal connections, especially in the current information age, where strong networks can provide valuable resources and mentoring to support career advancement. We also took the opportunity to introduce BPW Europe, and a Young BPW representative, Anna Zimmermann, gave a brief video speech. The students showed great interest in the upcoming Leadership Training for Women (LTW), scheduled for 4th, 11th, and 18th October 2024. Conny R Montague Chair BPW Europe Working Group Learning for Leadership Developing self-awareness and self-confidence is a lifelong process for every human, involving learning, reflection, and feedback from others.
Last Thursday, 11 April 2024, we held our second LTW Leadership Forum. We were joined by brilliant women from different European countries to reflect on leadership challenges, learn from our experience, and benefit from the appreciative, constructive, and supportive feedback of the other participants. Whether one had a current issue to look into or not, everyone highly appreciated the fact that this opportunity exists. Another Leadership Forum is coming in the fall of 2024, and every LTW alumna is welcome to join us. Facilitators: Ann Wood, Petya BARRAUD (NENOVA) During the 3 Fridays of 16th and 23rd February and 1st March 2024, the BPW Working Group "Learning for Leadership" had the opportunity to facilitate transformative leadership training for a diverse group of dynamic business and professional women. Together with an exceptional trainer team, we went on a journey to cultivate leadership skills and develop personal growth. At the heart of our discussions was the group's shared value of "personal development," a cornerstone for driving success. As we reflected on leadership principles, participants considered how they could incorporate them into their own leadership journeys. Sixteen participants from all over Europe also shared experience and mutual support. We will repeat this inspiring and effective Leadership Training for Women on 3 consecutive Friday afternoons on the 4th, 11th and 18th of October, 2024. Scholarships are available for Young BPW members.  Here is what participants had to say about the training: I highly recommend this training to women seeking to enhance their leadership skills. Through creating a supportive space and through very effective instruction and reflection, there is something for everyone, regardless of their experience level. It was great to meet and network with a variety of motivated women from across Europe. Thank you for the inspirational training delivery and role modelling! Great program - worth every minute and hour spent! The trainers were very cooperative and did their best for all of us. Our trainers created a space where we felt secure and vulnerable enough to share our challenges and not feel the need to justify our choices or decisions. The program is designed so that everyone has great benefits no matter the level of business they are at. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who needs to improve or wants to learn more about Leadership. Thank you Well prepared and good structure; I liked the switch between the trainers, who were very skilled and energizing. Important content and topics were in a good mix, and going into breakout rooms for discussions gave extra value to the training. I made some nice connections with other female leaders around Europe which was a nice bonus. Thank you, everybody! |
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