Midlife women (aged 40-60) represent a significant talent source for organisations like yours, filling more senior specialist and leadership roles than ever before as DEIB and gender equity measures gather speed, women stay in work longer, and our workforce demographics change rapidly.
They are, however, also leaving these positions in record numbers, citing flexibility, wellbeing, work-life balance, and alternative career paths as key reasons. According to The 30% Club, a global campaign led by Chairs and CEOs to increase gender diversity at board and executive levels, for every woman getting promoted into a senior role two are leaving. McKinsey & Co. is calling this phenomenon ‘The Great Breakup’.
These women make up the fastest growing workforce demographic on the planet, on target to surpass one billion worldwide by the end of 2025. In New Zealand alone there are over 500,000 employed women in this life stage, with more than 85,000 in leadership roles, many of them in your organisation.
With 40-50+ years of life under their belts, midlife women have accumulated vast experience, honed their skills, and navigated numerous professional and personal challenges and milestones. Yet, at a time when they should be at the height of their powers, they run headlong into obstacles specific to this life stage that can knock them off course, hinder their progress, and undermine their confidence.
It’s time to offer them a development experience designed specifically FOR THEM.
To find out more about Turning Point and its value as a leadership development experience for your senior women, please request a brochure.
Midlife is a challenging time for everyone but it’s especially demanding for women.
From the subtle biases and stereotypes that persist in their minds and our workplaces, to the societal expectations that shape their roles as women, parents and caregivers. From balancing responsibilities and priorities across multiple (often conflicting) domains, to juggling career aspirations with their partners or doing it all alone. From dealing with the stigma of peri/menopause and the bias of gendered ageism, to redefining their identities, this is a time filled with unique opportunities and challenges.
Turning Point is for midlife female leaders your organisation values as talent who are experiencing some or all of the following:
Until now there hasn’t been a leadership development programme designed specifically to support women leaders through this challenging yet temporary transitional time. So we’ve created one!
Delivered over six months using a blended approach of in-person deep development experiences, on-line coaching and connection sessions, and a dedicated cohort space on our Pathmaker Community platform, Turning Point is the first leadership development programme of its kind for New Zealand.
It focuses on specific challenges and opportunities for women through this life and leadership transition, providing an experience that aims to awaken them from the quiet midlife crisis, shake off the shackles of outdated stereotypes, and embrace their midlife leadership power and potential.
As one of a close knit, collective development cohort of up to 12 women, your women will:
They will emerge from the 6-month journey with:
The 2025 Turning Point Programme runs between 6 March and 21 August
The application window is open from 1 April to 20 November 2024 or earlier if all places are filled. Places are strictly limited to 12 and any one organisation may send up to 3 women on a single programme.
Gathering in-person is an important part of creating and sustaining the learning culture of our leadership cohorts. Deeper connection, conversation and awareness build when leaders sit together to do their work. Our facilitated gatherings also set the tone for all the other ways in which we connect across the programme: open, curious, vulnerable, and generous.
Critical to the success of any development experience is the contextually appropriate, immediate application of learning. At the end of every development session, in-person and on-line, its up to each leader to identify the actions they feel inspired to take based on the opportunities and challenges unique to their personal context in life, work, and leadership.
To support leaders with their Solo Inspired Action, they are part of a peer Support Crew of 2-3 people. Together as a Support Crew leaders encourage, challenge, and support each other as they work day-to-day to build their leadership practice, deepen their awareness and understanding, and experience growth and change in themselves and their lives.
Positioned 4-5 weeks after each in-person gathering, our ‘live on-line’ Coaching Circles provide a small group facilitated environment for leaders to reconnect with Kate and members of the cohort outside their Support Crew. In these sessions we recognise meaningful progress, address challenges and questions, and seek deeper levels of learning and insight as they do the practical work to put their programme learning into action.
As a cohort, we stay connected through a dedicated Turning Point space on our Pathmakers Community platform. Think of it as a distraction-free, no ads, no self-promoting content version of LinkedIn combined with a one-of-a-kind leadership resource centre. This is a place where leaders continue conversations, ask questions, access core programme materials and supplementary content, and generally keep the love and learning alive.
Collective learning is a powerful thing but sometimes leaders need a bit of one-to-one support. If at any time over the 6-months of the programme a leader finds that the counsel offered in our various group environments isn’t enough, Kate is at the end of the phone or just an email away to give them dedicated attention and support. Nothing is too small and there are no stupid questions – just opportunities for growth, learning, and insight.
“At Tahua we strongly believe in our values and supporting the ongoing development of our leaders. We recognise that women in leadership face particular challenges at certain life stages. Turning Point is a unique programme that provides an exciting development opportunity to lean in and embrace those challenges front on!”
Kerry Cornelious
Group Head of People & Culture
“We’re very proud to support our rising senior female leaders through the Turning Point journey. I love how the programme is uniquely tailored to the challenges (and opportunities!) women face in the middle period of life, particularly balancing life responsibilities while also coming into their own as awesome, inspiring leaders.”
Rebecca Mowat
Head of People
“At Te Mata Hiko (Contact) we believe we have both a responsibility and a real need to grow and develop more female leaders in what has been traditionally a male dominated sector. I particularly love how Turning Point has been designed specifically to support women at such a critical part of their careers – the middle part of their lives but with so much more to offer”.
Jan Bibby
Chief People Officer
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