THE Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) and the Philippine Embassy in the United States capped the successful celebration of National Women’s Month by launching Disrupt 2.0: Filipina Women Daring to Lead on March 29 at the Philippine Chancery Annex Building.
Disrupt 2.0: Filipina Women Daring to Lead is the second book in the FWN’s series on leadership and management. Thirty-five global Filipino women leaders contributed their stories and experiences to the book, highlighting the qualities and competencies generally required by any position of leadership.
“This book enriches the literature and dialogue on the leadership principles and practices espoused by Filipino women in diverse fields,” the Embassy’s Minister for Economic Affairs Jose Victor Chan Gonzaga said in his welcome remarks.
“A lot of ‘disruptions’ have been happening in this town—upending, in many cases, the way we think about politics, social relationships, wealth and the economy and technology, among others,” Gonzaga noted.
“Indeed, we live in very interesting times. New mental maps are required. Fresh perspectives are needed. And alternative approaches are essential. Lucky for the Philippines—and if I may so, lucky also for Filipino men—that Filipino women have never shied away from confronting and, sometimes, leading the change,” he added.
One of the book’s contributing authors and a keynote speaker of the evening, renowned motivational speaker Sonia Aranza, talked about the Filipino woman’s intrinsic ability to “bloom where she is planted”.
In her chapter, “Transformational Leadership Begins Within”, Aranza wrote: “Individuals who are transformers dare to defy the pwede na mentality. They refuse to accept the notion of simply getting by. They engage in transformation, and transformation requires disruption.”
In her own keynote, Maribeth Raffinan, the first Filipino woman to become a US federal judge, emphasized, “Daring to lead involves failure. Daring to lead involves resilience. Daring to lead involves grit.”
FWN CEO and Founder Marily Mondejar presented the organization’s five priority program areas, namely, branding, social justice, coalition building, leadership development and cultural awareness. She also invited the participants to attend the 14th Filipina Leadership Global Summit, which will be held from October 26 to 29 in Toronto, Canada.
A reading of select chapters in Disrupt 2.0 and the first book in the series, Disrupt: Proud, Loud, Leading Without A Doubt, followed the keynote speeches.
The Disrupt series may be purchased on Amazon.