Zacharoula Sidiropoulou, Senior Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist at Hospital São Francisco Xavier, shared a post by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training, Imperial College London on LinkedIn:
“Day5
Beyond the Comfort Zone
As the Senior Women Talent Pipeline training in Lisbon ended up, I am more than ever convicted that true leadership development doesn’t happen in comfort, it happens in the brave space where we’re willing to be challenged, questioned, and stretched beyond what we thought possible.
And oh, what a way they pushed us out of our comfort zones.
From day one, this wasn’t a passive learning experience. We were pushed to confront our assumptions about leadership, to practice difficult conversations in real time, to stand up and deliver when the pressure was on, and to receive feedback that sometimes stung but always served our growth. The facilitators (official name of the 3 magnifique) Megan Karsh, Mads Jensen, and Leonard Otti didn’t let us hide behind our credentials or expertise. They demanded we show up fully, vulnerably, and courageously.
But here’s what I understand now: programs like SWTP aren’t just about individual career advancement.
They’re investments in world peace itself. When we prepare women leaders to navigate the complex political landscapes of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, when we equip them with the skills to lead in crisis, negotiate in conflict, and build consensus across divisions, we’re directly contributing to more effective, more inclusive, more sustainable peace operations worldwide.
The United Nations’s peace and security architecture needs the full range of human talent, perspective, and experience. Gender parity isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a strategic imperative. Study after study shows that peace agreements are more durable when women are at the table, that peacekeeping missions are more effective when women are in leadership, that communities recover faster when women lead reconstruction efforts.
SWTP recognizes this. Portugal recognizes this. And this week, we’ve built something powerful together: a network of women leaders who will carry these lessons into the field, into headquarters, into the moments that matter most.
To my fellow SWTP participants: you’ve inspired me, challenged me, and shown me what collective leadership looks like in practice. To the organizers and facilitators: thank you for believing that investing in women’s leadership is investing in a more peaceful world. To Portugal: obrigada for your extraordinary hospitality and commitment to this vision.
This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. The real work starts now.
Megan Karsh, Mads Jensen and Leonard Otti, Thank you for seeing our potential before we fully saw it ourselves. Thank you for the tough questions, the honest feedback, and the unwavering belief that we belong in these leadership spaces. You didn’t just teach us, you challenged us, supported us, and helped us become the leaders we’re meant to be.
This week in Lisbon changed us. That’s your legacy.
With deep gratitude!”
More posts featuring Zacharoula Sidiropoulou.
