- This topic has 4 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 5 months ago by Odile Dayez.
I’ve always chosen to devote my voluntary energy and my professional time to projects working with people made vulnerable by life and society: orphaned children, homeless people, refugees, people with disabilities.
We often talk about exemplarity as a leader, but for me it’s also central to the structure.
And the point that obsesses me and has often made me angry in the debates of the executive committee of which I was a member, is the coherence between the cause we are defending and the way we organise our work and treat our team.
What about a social project that pays so poorly that it creates working poor, or a structure so hierarchical that it doesn’t allow the autonomy it defends? Or a social integration enterprise that excludes the expression of religious differences at work?
I particularly fought against all the privileges given to management (of which I was one), as this seemed to me to go against the battle against inequality and for greater social justice.
I once tore off the “direction” labels that reserved the best parking spaces.
In general, it wasn’t always easy to deal with… Clearly… And I was often pointed out as the one giving the lessons…
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I’ve always chosen to devote my voluntary energy and my professional time to projects working with people made vulnerable by life and society: orphaned children, homeless people, refugees, people with disabilities.
We often talk about exemplarity as a leader, but for me it’s also central to the structure.
And the point that obsesses me and has often made me angry in the debates of the executive committee of which I was a member, is the coherence between the cause we are defending and the way we organise our work and treat our team.
What about a social project that pays so poorly that it creates working poor, or a structure so hierarchical that it doesn’t allow the autonomy it defends? Or a social integration enterprise that excludes the expression of religious differences at work?
I particularly fought against all the privileges given to management (of which I was one), as this seemed to me to go against the battle against inequality and for greater social justice.
I once tore off the “direction” labels that reserved the best parking spaces.In general, it wasn’t always easy to deal with… Clearly… And I was often pointed out as the one giving the lessons…
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I am truly inspired. It’s easy to feel like there’s almost nothing you can do to speak up against injustice in your capacity as a nine to fiver or manager. The part where you wrote “a social project that pays so poorly that it creates working poor” hit hard. Well done for standing up to injustice. We must continue to speak up and act too.
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Your words really resonate. It’s so important to align the values we defend externally with the way we operate internally. I admire how you not only recognized those inconsistencies but actively challenged them, even when it was uncomfortable. True leadership sometimes means standing alone for what’s right—and your example shows that integrity in action, not just intention, is what creates real change.
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Thank you Odile for sharing this. I know activism is not for the weak. I am really inspired by your energy against inequality. I loved where you tore off the “direction” labels that reserved the best parking spaces. It’s leaders like you who cause a specific difference at work that will bring a smile on the faces of those who have been made vulnerable and eventually change the entire story. Indeed well done👏
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Odile, this is such a captivating post, thank you for sharing so honestly. I’m truly inspired by the way you’ve connected exemplarity not just to leadership, but to the very structure of how we work and treat our teams. Your courage to challenge incoherence and privilege, even when it wasn’t easy, is deeply powerful. I completely agree that coherence must be central. For me, activism in daily leadership often looks like creating spaces where people feel safe, respected, and seen. Like you said, it isn’t always easy but these daily acts of resistance and care are what keep me grounded in the change I want to see.
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