February’s AWiB Connects @ the Hilton unfolded as an evening of connection, exchange, and shared reflection. Members and guests gathered to engage with one another across experiences, sectors, and leadership journeys. Conversations flowed easily in the room, shaped by a central question that stayed present throughout the night: what does leadership look like when it is practiced together rather than carried alone? 

Framed by the theme Collaborative Leadership: The power of One, participants were invited to reflect during the networking moment on what “the power of one” means to them personally, the small actions they are taking or would like to take to encourage collaboration in their families, workplaces, or communities, and the challenges they face in moving from a solo style of leadership toward a more shared approach. These reflections anchored the evening, giving focus and direction to the conversation that followed.

The program opened with welcoming remarks by Tsion Gebremedhen, AWiB’s 2026 Board President, who introduced the 2026 Board Members. Each offered a brief introduction, marking the beginning of a new leadership cycle grounded in continuity, responsibility, and service to the AWiB community.

Tsion then invited four members of the evening to showcase their products and services, highlighting one of AWiB’s key membership perks. Rahel Addisu of Milo Dermatology, Ayida Abdulwahib of Afrobet Travel, Dr. Alemtsehay Eyasu of Lebeza Psychiatry Center, and Mehret Mekuria from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University also showcased products developed by women and persons with disabilities. This moment reflected AWiB’s role not only as a forum for dialogue but also as a platform for visibility, connection, and collaboration.

Tsion invited the moderator of the panel, Lensa Biyena to lead the program. Lensa is the Executive Director of the Ethiopian Mediation and Arbitration Center. Lensa used  a powerful quote “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are one ocean.” to frame the panel.  She invited the audience to rethink leadership not as hierarchy or control, but as the ability of one person to spark collaboration and unite many voices around a shared purpose. She asserted that while traditional leadership models often reward authority and individual decision-making, the challenges facing institutions and societies today demand approaches rooted in trust, inclusion, and collective wisdom.

The panel featured Saba Gebremedhin, Executive Director of the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), and Hamere Demissie, founder of Actual Urban Living and a mindset coach. Together, they brought perspectives shaped by civil society leadership, entrepreneurship, and inner leadership work.

Lensa began by posing a fundamental question: whether collaborative leadership is a strategy or something deeper. Hamere responded by describing collaborative leadership as a state of consciousness rather than a technique. She explained that leadership outcomes are shaped by belief systems, particularly whether leaders operate from a place of fear or trust, scarcity or abundance. The same tools and structures, she noted, can either create genuine collaboration or simply enforce compliance. Leaders who trust their teams cultivate engagement and shared ownership, while those driven by fear tend to control,

often leading to burnout, resistance, and disengagement. True collaboration, she emphasized, begins with self-awareness and an honest examination of one’s inner beliefs.

Building on this, Lensa invited Saba to reflect on collaborative leadership from lived experience. Saba shared that in civil society, collaboration is often not optional but necessary. Drawing from years of coalition-building, she described collaborative leadership as shared vision, shared risk, and shared responsibility. While collaboration takes time and patience, it consistently leads to stronger and more sustainable outcomes. She emphasized the importance of making space for different working styles, allowing others to lead in their own ways, and staying anchored to the cause rather than personal or organizational visibility.

As the discussion deepened, Lensa raised questions around power, resistance, and trust, asking how leaders can share power without losing clarity or accountability. Hamere highlighted the importance of listening before speaking, particularly for those in leadership positions. When leaders speak first, others often fall into agreement or silence rather than contribution. Creating psychological safety, asking open-ended questions, and withholding judgment allows ideas to surface from voices that are often unheard.

Saba added that disagreement is not an absence of collaboration, but a natural part of it. What matters is how differences are handled. Listening with patience, finding common ground, and remaining focused on the shared goal allow groups to move through tension without fracturing. She cautioned against turning disagreements into personal struggles, noting that collaborative leadership requires maturity and the ability to let go when collective outcomes matter more than individual positions.

Lensa then invited the audience for Q & A. Participants raised questions about managing ego in leadership, navigating male-dominated decision-making spaces, encouraging team members to take responsibility, and building trust across diverse groups. One participant reflected on the need for diplomacy in collaborative work, while another asked how leaders can release control without losing direction.

In responding to the questions, the panelists returned repeatedly to self-reflection, clarity, and intention. Saba emphasized that collaborative leadership requires character and a willingness to examine one’s assumptions and power dynamics. Hamere highlighted the need for clear roles and shared vision, noting that collaboration does not mean the absence of structure, but clarity paired with trust.

A particularly powerful moment came from a student in the audience, who spoke about group work and the frustration of not being given space to contribute. Her reflection underscored the importance of courage, learning through failure, and the responsibility leaders carry to create environments where others are allowed to grow.

As the session drew to a close, Lensa invited the panelists to share one pointing, intentional shift participants could make to lead more collaboratively. The reflections pointed to simple but powerful practices: sharing vision consistently, listening deeply, creating space for disagreement, and shifting focus from how to lead to how to create environments where others can flourish.

The evening concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Bethlehem Birhanu, AWiB’s 2026 President-Elect, who thanked the speakers, moderator, and participants for their openness and engagement. She reflected on collaborative leadership as a daily practice rather than a fixed position and reminded the audience that leadership is revealed in how space is shared. In keeping with AWiB tradition, she presented tokens of appreciation to the speakers, honoring their contributions.

February’s AWiB Connects left participants with a clear and grounding reminder: leadership is not about standing alone at the front, but about choosing to build the conditions where many voices can move forward together, one conversation at a time.

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