A Word with Cynthia Steele

For this Anniversary Special, we decided to switch things up! Tanvi Mishra, EMpower's Communications and Influence Manager, caught up with Cynthia Steele, our President and CEO. Cynthia spoke about her journey at EMpower, the organisation's impact over the past 25 years, and her vision for the future. 

What has been the most rewarding part of leading EMpower, and what challenges have shaped your leadership and the organisation’s direction?

I feel incredibly fortunate to do work I love, alongside smart, passionate people—our team, the Board, grantee partners, young people—towards making an important difference in the lives of others. The challenges that have shaped me and us are also the opportunities—pivoting to adapt to external factors we can’t control (COVID, financial crises, closing civil space). It’s taught me the importance of resilience, adaptability, optimism, and trusted community.

Have any particular interactions with young people or grantee partners profoundly shaped your understanding of EMpower’s impact?

There have been many that have deeply touched me and, honestly, that motivate me especially in the darker times or long days. Stories of overcoming true hardship and suffering—such as violence, trafficking—or being able to take advantage of opportunities that otherwise would have been foreclosed, especially for girls—learning to read, finishing school, mentoring others, advocating with decision-makers. I have been, and am, incredibly inspired by young peoples’ stories of change, their smarts, courage and passion, and by our grantee partners who are there for them through thick and thin. 

EMpower wouldn’t be where it is without its supporters. Can you share how relationships with donors have influenced the organisation’s growth and vision?

Outside of the obvious and vital—our supporters in finance bring significant resources—it has been really useful to engage deeply with people whose day jobs, background, and mindsets are really different. They bring different insights, questions, skills as well as access.  I am a big fan of diversity in general. I agree with a body of evidence that shows diversity leads to better decisions and outcomes, and that is built into EMpower’s ways of working because of our constituencies. The team needs to be the equivalent of multi-lingual—equally conversant and comfortable discussing our work with young people whether in a Mayfair Board room or with a community worker in a classroom in Rajasthan.    

If you could leave one message or piece of advice for the next generation of leaders and changemakers in EMpower’s ecosystem, what would it be?

Too hard for me to distill to one, Tanvi!  Here are a few:

Embrace who you are and your strengths rather than try to be someone you’re not.  Believe in and demonstrate the power of example not the example of power. Be humble. Keep learning. Have a life and community outside work. Stay optimistic. Appreciate the contributions of others. Striving for excellence, while impossible to consistently attain, is everything.  Take the long view—you’ll live to see another day beyond the hardship you are facing in the moment.  Humour and laughter are essential even, or perhaps especially, in the darkest moments.