On a Saturday in early September, around two months after the Fellows were selected to join the new Cohort, the young leaders meet up for the first time at TheMerode in Brussels. Without knowing each other yet, the atmosphere is filled with excitement, nervousness, and curiosity about what is to come. Many Fellows express that it feels reminiscent of the first day of school, and indeed, the next months will be filled with new friendships and connections, abundant opportunities for learning and and growing, enabled among others through the Forums.
“The Forums are five key moments over the year when the Cohort gets-together. The 40 Fellows meet for one day and enter into deep reflections and discussions about their leadership development and explore societal topics where they can create a positive impact together. These are very profound moments that create an intense energy and strong bonds between the Fellows”, Laurent Coulie explains, Co-Founder and CEO of Belgium’s 40 under 40.
The essence of the Forums is threefold: For one, the Forums create a sense of community that goes beyond exchanging business cards, it is about forming long-lasting relations between the Fellows. “The purpose of Belgium’s 40 under 40 is to prepare the next generation of societal leaders. We believe that, given the complexity of societal transformations, one cannot act alone to address societal issues. We offer a leadership engine that brings together people with different backgrounds, roles, areas of interest and expertise to work on themselves and join forces to shape a collective future,” Laurent says. The combination of individual reflections and meaningful conversations with peers create strong connections. In the Forums, as in the Conversation Circles, the Fellows get a unique opportunity to have profound exchanges, and find support to address the leadership questions and challenges they face. As Laurent explains, “throughout the five Forums, the intensity of the conversations and the bonds grow deeper and deeper, making it richer and more impactful.”
The Forums provide a setting and incentives for the Fellows to get to know each other below the surface. One example of an activity that works well is the lifeline drawing of the first Forum. For Fernanda Carcamo, Alumna of Cohort 2021 Spring, “the most impactful Forum and exercise was the one where we drew our lifeline. It encouraged us to reflect on our past and think about the question “What brought me here, what events made me who I am, what people have been crucial on this path?” We then shared our lifelines and got to know each other in depth. It was impactful to share your story, but to also listen to those stories from people who all come from different backgrounds and found their way to be at 40u40 at this day, now sharing this moment together.” The exercise allows the Fellows to get to know themselves and their peers by diving right into profound questions about their values, life journey and purpose. The Fellows form meaningful connections that help them in their leadership and impact journey. As Sanne Vermeiren, Alumna of Cohort 2022 shares, “The Community gave me a feeling of belonging, made me less insecure and gave me the power to start taking next steps to have an impact and improve as a leader.”
A Community of trust and mutual support is a foundation for developing leadership skills, the second objective of the Forums. The meetups offer a space for personal development of the Fellows leadership in a safe manner by giving them exposure to different leadership models and frameworks, masterclasses, and testimonials. Another activity, emphasizing each one’s brilliance, encourages positive reinforcement and provides a moment of genuine appreciation. The exercise allows the Fellows to discover their leadership skills through the eyes of others, identify their unique talents, and find the best ways to express them.
A fundamental skill essential for this purpose is deep listening, characterized by the listener’s complete presence and dedication to the speaker, refraining from attempting to steer the conversation, formulate immediate responses, or pass judgement on the other person. Jerome Leclef, Fellow of Cohort 2023 describes how “we often listen to just talk, not really understanding others’ feelings. The deep listening exercises proved how true this is. In just 10 minutes of really listening, we went beyond surface stuff, getting to the heart of what we’re really trying to say.”
Testimonials also play an important role in helping the Fellows develop their leadership. The 40u40 Community also includes the Supporters, established leaders in Belgium, and the Alumni, fellow young leaders, who offer insights and share advice among each other. They do so by joining a Forum to think together on different societal topics, boosting the Field Work projects of the Cohort. Other testimonials are also given by guest speakers or the Co-Founders themselves. Cohort 2022 Alumna Pauline Verhaeghe appreciated the openness and honesty of the Co-Founders when sharing their experiences, saying “One of the highlights of the Belgium’s 40 under 40 program is the capacity of the Founders to lead by example. During our fourth Forum, all founders took the time to open up about their professional journey, sharing with honesty, their ups and downs as they grew as leaders. It was very inspiring to see such accomplished individuals own up to their strengths and weaknesses and showed us what it meant to be a true leader”.
