ESADE presents 37 almas en una, an essay that analyses women's leadership through the testimony of present and future female executives

The book 37 almas en una [“37 souls in one”] was presented today at ESADE Madrid. This collective essay analyses the keys to women’s leadership through the first-hand accounts of more than three dozen female professionals and executives. Through a new and different viewpoint that reflects the support provided by these women’s families and professional environments, the book champions the learning that arises from personal experience – motherhood, work-life balance, and caring for dependents – as the key to success in the management of people and projects in one’s professional life.

This group of women met at ESADE during the Promociona Project, a programme promoted by the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Associations (CEOE) and the Women’s Institute for Equal Opportunities that aims to foster the training, professional development, leadership and advancement of female executives. In the book, which is supported by the Planeta Group in collaboration with ESADE, these professionals and leaders of change share stories about their careers from a more intimate and personal point of view.

“We signed as ‘37 souls’ because that’s exactly what we poured into the book: our souls,” commented Estela Baz, co-author of the book and director of the project. “It’s an exploration of our personal and professional careers, from a humble standpoint, which we believe can pave the way for other women to fulfil their dreams. Sacrifice doesn’t have to mean giving up what you are or excluding anyone. We’ve come as far as we have thanks to a shared effort and our belief in ourselves.”

“This is the first time that a group of women has decided to share their professional experiences from a perspective that goes beyond the workplace,” said Eugenia Bieto, Director General of ESADE Business & Law School. Dr. Bieto is among the co-authors who contributed their testimony as executives and women in 37 almas en una. Echoing a sentiment shares by her fellow co-authors, she commented: “A good professional – man or woman, it doesn’t matter – must cultivate their non-executive spaces in order to tune and develop their spiritual inwardness.” She writes in the book: “Back when I was studying, I was the only woman in my class. In fact, each graduating class was known by the name of the girl in the class. Mine was ‘Eugenia’s class’.”

The first women of a new age

Although each co-author of 37 almas en una has a different history in terms of both personal background and professional development, like Dr. Bieto, at some point they all became the first woman to join a department or a project, most commonly in technical fields. They also share the fact that they were educated to appreciate diversity, to tackle difficulties with courage, to face family losses with sensitivity and to learn from their mistakes. “When we fall down, we get back up,” commented Ms. Baz. “Many women, in the pursuit of perfection, lose sight of something more important: the path towards themselves. Now that we’ve made it, it’s time for us to tell our stories.”