Proverbs 31 as a professional woman - Part 45
SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY
Dear loyal readers, I trust that you’re blessed and highly favoured.
In Part 44 we paused and reflected on the transformational impact of realising that: “The magnificent weight of God’s glory is not only revealed when we’re serving Him in the various capacities that He entrusted us to advance His kingdom – His glory is also revealed when we take time to rest, reflect, reset, realign, reboot, redefine, reassess, rejuvenate, relax or do whatever refreshes or restores your soul – in alignment with His will for you.”
The above text came to life during the Law Society of Namibia's annual women’s conference on 2 August.
The atmosphere was charged for God’s glory as we had fruitful and robust engagements driven by seasoned professionals sharing key nuggets and life experiences that shaped their career trajectory, and we reflected on the need for our noble profession to introspect and recognise that sometimes we celebrate dysfunctional behaviour in the name of pursuing success.
We have normalised dysfunctional workloads and internalised pressures that make us pursue our legal careers beyond human strength – because we want to be celebrated for the display of human strength, even when it costs us everything.
We took time to introspect and reached a consensus that we cannot continue to pursue success in a manner that is often underpinned and indirectly defined by self-neglect, self-abandonment and self-betrayal and is devoid of self-regulation, self-awareness, pacing and the simplicity of being fully present in the moment.
The psychological toll of serving in the legal profession (or any other profession) is often a misnomer because we’re expected to perform without limits. But the truth is that you cannot keep setting yourself on fire to keep everyone warm – you will burn out (see also: ‘Mental health in the legal profession’, parts 1 and 2 – articles that I wrote in 2021 and published by the Namibian Sun newspaper).
One of the highlights of the above event occurred when our President, H.E. Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, surprised us by gracing the event with her presence. It was a phenomenal moment to have her in our midst, as her leadership trajectory and essence, which is etched in ‘pragmatism, accountability, integrity, meritocracy and inclusivity’, was conveyed in her speech, which was read by the Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Hon. Fillemon Immanuel.
Being the first female president is nothing short of phenomenal, but the emphasis is on the fact that we as a nation have expressed our trust in her ability and integrity as a leader and not necessarily because she’s a woman. Her leadership, which is rooted in serving with honour and excellence, spoke for her long before a ballot box decided her fate.
Truly, our president is living proof that it takes courage to give yourself permission to be great, to take up space and to be unapologetically bold about it – in alignment with God’s will for your life.
I had the honour of forming part of a distinguished panel where we had the pleasure of participating in the weighty task of reflecting on “women’s leadership journeys, the systemic margins they navigate, and how men in leadership can become intentional allies and architects of equity.”
It sounds like a mouthful, but my contribution was that some women need to overcome the notion that we need a seat at the table – for the mere sake of it.
The question is: what value are you bringing to the table, or why not build your own table? We cannot just pursue access and inclusivity to tables as a token appointment or as a tick-box exercise without bringing value to the assignment at hand.
Why?
Because the value that you bring to your assignment will determine whether the door will be kept open or closed off for the next woman.
By placing a premium on the values of honour and excellence that you choose to bring to the table, the focus will move away from viewing your inclusion at the table through a gendered lens, as the demonstration of your value (that is rooted in honour and excellence) will break barriers, open new doors for others to enter and ensure that your influence is felt beyond the table.
Notably, earning the trust of your superiors is an unspoken barrier that allows you to lead – especially without a title, because leadership is more than a title, and Genesis 1:27 and 1:28 are proof that God ingrained leadership in our spiritual DNA; we just need to rise into it – for the revelation of His glory.
Shalom.
In Part 44 we paused and reflected on the transformational impact of realising that: “The magnificent weight of God’s glory is not only revealed when we’re serving Him in the various capacities that He entrusted us to advance His kingdom – His glory is also revealed when we take time to rest, reflect, reset, realign, reboot, redefine, reassess, rejuvenate, relax or do whatever refreshes or restores your soul – in alignment with His will for you.”
The above text came to life during the Law Society of Namibia's annual women’s conference on 2 August.
The atmosphere was charged for God’s glory as we had fruitful and robust engagements driven by seasoned professionals sharing key nuggets and life experiences that shaped their career trajectory, and we reflected on the need for our noble profession to introspect and recognise that sometimes we celebrate dysfunctional behaviour in the name of pursuing success.
We have normalised dysfunctional workloads and internalised pressures that make us pursue our legal careers beyond human strength – because we want to be celebrated for the display of human strength, even when it costs us everything.
We took time to introspect and reached a consensus that we cannot continue to pursue success in a manner that is often underpinned and indirectly defined by self-neglect, self-abandonment and self-betrayal and is devoid of self-regulation, self-awareness, pacing and the simplicity of being fully present in the moment.
The psychological toll of serving in the legal profession (or any other profession) is often a misnomer because we’re expected to perform without limits. But the truth is that you cannot keep setting yourself on fire to keep everyone warm – you will burn out (see also: ‘Mental health in the legal profession’, parts 1 and 2 – articles that I wrote in 2021 and published by the Namibian Sun newspaper).
One of the highlights of the above event occurred when our President, H.E. Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, surprised us by gracing the event with her presence. It was a phenomenal moment to have her in our midst, as her leadership trajectory and essence, which is etched in ‘pragmatism, accountability, integrity, meritocracy and inclusivity’, was conveyed in her speech, which was read by the Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Hon. Fillemon Immanuel.
Being the first female president is nothing short of phenomenal, but the emphasis is on the fact that we as a nation have expressed our trust in her ability and integrity as a leader and not necessarily because she’s a woman. Her leadership, which is rooted in serving with honour and excellence, spoke for her long before a ballot box decided her fate.
Truly, our president is living proof that it takes courage to give yourself permission to be great, to take up space and to be unapologetically bold about it – in alignment with God’s will for your life.
I had the honour of forming part of a distinguished panel where we had the pleasure of participating in the weighty task of reflecting on “women’s leadership journeys, the systemic margins they navigate, and how men in leadership can become intentional allies and architects of equity.”
It sounds like a mouthful, but my contribution was that some women need to overcome the notion that we need a seat at the table – for the mere sake of it.
The question is: what value are you bringing to the table, or why not build your own table? We cannot just pursue access and inclusivity to tables as a token appointment or as a tick-box exercise without bringing value to the assignment at hand.
Why?
Because the value that you bring to your assignment will determine whether the door will be kept open or closed off for the next woman.
By placing a premium on the values of honour and excellence that you choose to bring to the table, the focus will move away from viewing your inclusion at the table through a gendered lens, as the demonstration of your value (that is rooted in honour and excellence) will break barriers, open new doors for others to enter and ensure that your influence is felt beyond the table.
Notably, earning the trust of your superiors is an unspoken barrier that allows you to lead – especially without a title, because leadership is more than a title, and Genesis 1:27 and 1:28 are proof that God ingrained leadership in our spiritual DNA; we just need to rise into it – for the revelation of His glory.
Shalom.
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