Our French-Australian Business Women’s Association (FABWA) provides a space for French businesswomen to support each other and exchange knowledge.

 

Having launched in Melbourne in 2015, we are thrilled to share that we have finally been able to launch our Sydney chapter, in order to support more women in Australia!

To kick off Sydney’s involvement, we explored a popular topic: How To Excel As An Intrapreneur. To present this interesting topic, we were fortunate enough to hear from an expert on the matter; Edu-entrepreneur and CEO of Academy of Entrepreneurs, Paula Mills!

As the creator of the incredible FABWA community, this special launch was something of great significance to our CEO, Corinne Bot. As such, she also attended the event, and presented attendees with the opportunity to ask her their own questions.

 

Fun and Though-Provoking Discussion

As the room started to fill with attendees, it became clear that our FABWA attracts business women from many different industries. From jewellery designers, to small business consultants and financial advisors, this quarter’s FABWA united a diverse crowd.

After guests introduced themselves to one another over wine and cheese, Paula kicked off the presentation with an interactive start. This wonderfully engaging and interactive style continued throughout Paula’s presentation, as she asked the crowd a series of questions.

 

 

Rather than launching into a speech about the topic, Paula encouraged the audience to reflect on their own thoughts and opinions. When faced with questions such as “what does intrapreneurship mean to you?”, the audience identified how intrapreneurship could be a useful tool for themselves on an individual scale.

Interestingly, this kind of personal reflection is fundamental for developing the aptitude for both personal and professional growth. When discussing the fundamentals of success as an intrapreneur, Paula alluded to the power of 3 qualities: Emotional Intelligence, as well as persistence and passion.

When equipped with these tools for endurance, it’s then up to the individual to begin utilising their own, unique strengths. This is the key concept between Paula’s message to “#Boss Your Future“.

 

Focus on Your Strengths

The culture of professional development places a huge emphasis on improving weaknesses and overcoming personal limitations. Paula sees it differently.

“Focus on your strengths,” she suggested. And this makes perfect sense. After all, successful business isn’t about avoiding failure. It’s about using, and constantly bettering, a certain strength, skill or valuable idea.

So, how can you identify your personal strengths?  Paula recommended a range of resources, including Tom Rath’s Strength Finder 2.0, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire.

 

Recognise Tomorrow’s Opportunities

In this era of digitalisation and automation, the future of jobs is a topical subject. Again, Paula pointed to the existing negativity, as society begins to fear that jobs will be lost to radically advanced technology.

Paula pointed out that the digital transformation is also bringing an abundance of new jobs. Moreover, the future beholds an array of new occupations which are unknown to us today.

“There will be jobs. They may be different, and the world may be different. But rather than being scared about that, we need to start thinking about how we can make the most of the exciting new opportunities,” said Paula.

In such times, it’s important for us to invest in the uniquly “human” abilities which will drive future job markets.

As digitalisation takes a hold, society simultaneously becomes to “rely on human capabilities, such as
interpreting information, people skills, as well as tactical and strategic thinking,” said Paula.

 

Be True to Yourself

Towards the end of Paula’s talk, the FABWA had become a unique networking event, where the audience conversed with Paula and each other.

This interactive environment saw the audience ask their own personal questions. This is where Corinne delivered her own messages and shared her own experience in navigating business challenges.

Corinne’s takeaway message was that, when it comes to business success, there are no hard and fast rules. In fact, many commonly held beliefs may not hold true for your business. For example, Corinne reiterated that not all business need to scale. Furthermore, not all entrepreneurs need an exit strategy.

This further reemphasised Paula’s point, that with EQ, perseverance, and passion, the direction of the business is up to you. That’s the beauty of it.

 

Paula And Corinne (centre) with the FABWA Attendees

 

Will You Join Us Next Time?

Are you an advocate of women in global business? Are you a Francophone and supporter of gender equality? Then please join our FABWA LinkedIn group! To receive event alerts and updates in your inbox, register to the FABWA community to receive event alerts and updates in your inbox!

Valerie

About the Author:

With over 10 years' experience working across various sectors such as FMCG, pharma, health & science to name but a few, Valerie brings a wealth of expertise to the recruitment industry.