To really know one’s self

As stated in numerous postings this has been an extraordinary experience and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given (earned) this amazing opportunities. In my final days I met with more extraordinary women, a former first lady, who became a Senator and ran for president (sound familiar) and one of the most famous wine makers in Argentina.  The program in Argentina blew me away with the caliber of women that I met with and the strength of the Argentine women.

Unique to my program in Argentina the meetings have been women who have reached great success in their fields generally dominated by men. The two women I want to write about in this particular entry were both very different but knew themselves as leaders and were so strong in their conviction.

The first one, Susana Balbo, is the owner and operator of Domino La Plata Vineyard in Mendoza. She is one of the most famous wine makers in Argentina. This is extraordinary as this is a business that continues to be male dominated. In her meeting she talked about the importance of women taking risk, using women’s intellect/intuition: go with your gut.  She talked about not fearing mistakes but appreciating the lessons learned in the mistakes. She said that mistakes will occur but you grow and if you hesitate due to fear how can you truly succeed. She has taken great risk in her wine business but went with her gut and has yielded some of the best wines. She also talked about owning her business and wanting her work to revolve around quality and not the bottom line.

She does not over produce a particular wine because it sells well she only makes enough as it reflects the best quality available. She started the vineyard completely on her own with her own resources. She was able to spend 45 minutes with me and I soaked up every minute with her. She was so absolute in everything she said- whether it was about the business, managing men, being competitive in a global market, being a mom, a wife, a widow, etc. She knew herself so well and it was so evident in her energy. She did not make things out to be easy. As a leader she is incredibly hands on – involved in all aspects of the operations. She is working and developing her succession plan for her vineyard.

The second one is Senator Hilda “Chiche” Dulhaldo. Aside from being a Senator, Presidential candidate, who lost to the current president by 5% of the vote, she served as the nation’s first lady.  I say all this in this order as it is customary that women here no matter how successful are introduced and defined first by their husband’s (and if divorced by their previous husband) first.

She was a fireball.  All her work has focused on women’s rights, human rights and services.  She was a strong force as a first lady. She ran for President because she felt called to run as a true representative of her people. When she saw the competition she felt she could not be represented or defined by them. She felt strongly that all woman need to participate in politics. Women have a duty in democracy and only when women are at the table are women’s issues brought to the forefront. She also talked about being clear about what your specialties are so you can make a difference and have depth in specific areas. For her it is women’s issues.

I took all their counsel and left the meetings inspired by the confidence they had in themselves. They were not cocky it was self assurance. The owned their leadership and their successes.