On authentic leadership with activist Magda Zenon

Being an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa while still in school is certainly not the easy road, but it’s what set Magda Zenon on her path. As she says herself, she wasn’t the “flavour of the month”, but choosing to stand up for what she believes in instead of what’s popular taught her early on the importance of authenticity as a leader. Magda shares how to stand up for what you believe in and be an authentic leader that rallies people around them.

Magda Zenon has been a peace and human rights activist ever since she can remember and brings with her a perspective formed within the contexts of living in three countries: South Africa, Greece, and now Cyprus, where she moved to in 2000. Since moving to Cyprus, she has continued to be an active member of civil society within the peace and women’s rights movement with a focus on gender violence and women’s participation and the integration of the gender perspective in the peace process and contributing to a culture of peace. She is a founding and active member of Hands Across the Divide, the first island wide women’s organisation; of the Cyprus Women’s Lobby, that represents the Republic of Cyprus at the European Women’s Lobby and of the Gender Advisory Team, an ad hoc group of women that came together and developed specific proposals with a gender perspective on subjects such as citizenship and property that were passed on and discussed with the negotiators. A follow-up to these was the “Pathways towards Sustainable Peace: Building UNSC Resolution 1325 into the Cyprus Context” conference held in November 2016 of which she was co-organizer. Finally, Magda is a great believer in the power of storytelling and to this end has hosted a radio programme called ‘kaleid’HER’scope’ on MYCYRadio, an Internet-based community radio for over 4 years. ‘Kaleid’HER’scope’ is a forum for women’s voices that perhaps might not have access to the traditional media and she has had conversations with many inspiring awesome women about peacebuilding, gender based violence, sexual and reproductive rights, trafficking and women’s participation in decision-making.

Learn more about Magda: LinkedIn | Facebook

Magda being an activist from a young age on certainly wasn’t easy – and even risky at times – but it cemented in her one of her core beliefs about leadership: You have to stand behind your word, regardless if it’s easy or not.

How to lead authentically:

• Lead from the heart: Magda realized she was a leader because whatever she did, she did it from the heart. Make sure your can stand behind your actions with integrity, not just because of external factors.
• It’s not a popularity contest: As much as we all like to be liked, a leader does something because it’s the right thing to do, not what is popular.
• You’ll be respected: Even if your actions are unpopular, leading with authenticity and integrity shows and will garner you respect. Magda was supported by teachers in school who weren’t necessarily her fans but respected her for standing up for what she believed in.

Magda founded Hands Across the Divide, the first island-wide women’s organization that had one management, which was revolutionary because they didn’t split up the north and south, which was the standard and easier.

How to lead a diverse team:

• Always look at the individual: Magda quickly learned people are different because they’re different and it’s got nothing to do with the language they speak. Don’t assume anything about your team members based on their background – get to know them as individuals.
• Take a step back: Conflict is unavoidable, but Magda learned that while it’s okay to get angry, it isn’t okay to lash out. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize what has upset you.
• Simplicity is key: When you’re communicating with a diverse team, make sure you keep things as simple as possible to make sure everyone is on the same page.
• Keep the big picture in mind: Amidst smaller squabbles, keep the vision of what you’re trying to create in mind and make sure everyone on the team does so too.

With Kaleidherscope, Magda founded a community radio station aimed at bringing diverse women’s voices to the media. Some of her key lessons can help any leader who is looking to create change.

How to learn from the media as a leader:

• Find the right medium: Magda discovered that radio was the perfect medium for her discussions with activists because having no face made them less likely to be targets and so more open. In an organization, explore what settings make your team members open up. Do they share more in personal discussions or in group conversations? Do they prefer written or verbal feedback? Online or offline? Experiment to discover what works best!
• Hear from diverse sources: One thing Magda is doing that mainstream media isn’t is talking with diverse women – not showcasing the same voices over and over. Who are you spending time with in your organization? Is it continually the same group of people? If so, try to spend more time with others so you can get fresh input.
• Build networks: Create communities at different levels and across industries, not just your own. You’d be surprised how you will so soon always be in close connection to someone else!

Who stops learning, stops growing. Since you are tuning into this podcast, I know this is something you believe in too. Magda credits her lifelong passion for activism to her natural curiosity to always keep learning and growing.

How to keep growing as a leader:

• Study: Read, go to the library, listen to podcasts, watch – do whatever works best for you to continually learn new content.
• Have friends that are smarter than you: Magda has friends she openly says are smarter than her and which continually challenger her.
• Be naturally curious: Listen to what’s being said around you, ask questions, and research to learn more.