Kristin Engvig: Connecting Agents of Possibility in an Uncertain World

When we are together with people who see the best in us, we can do even more, says WIN Founder, Kristin Engvig. She champions a new brand of leadership based on a “feminine, authentic and global vision” for the future. We explore her perspective on the symbiotic relationship of beauty and business to create unlimited possibility – and how it all starts with a slow, deep breath.

CR: How would you describe what you do at WIN?

KE: We look to put situations and people in the right light…a bit like a photographer. We bring that approach to an occasion – with a group of people – and encourage them to look for the best in each other, individually and collectively.

CR: Your first WIN Conference took place 20 years ago. Today these connections reach far across the globe and deep into the business world. Did you ever imagine happening such an impact?

KE: At the beginning it was a one-off thing. I had an intuition that this is something I have to do. I was sensing my way through it. I brought together a small group of people with great enthusiasm and desire to change the world. It was all of us around a kitchen table, looking for ways to improve the situation for women and inspire others. That feeling has been there all along and grown with time. But at the beginning it was one year at a time.

Every one of us can create beauty. If you want to do something, do it! And see where it leads.

CR: How did your own life experience shape this impulse to bring people together?

KE: Growing up in Norway I really liked to create things. I learned to notice colour and light — and to look at things with curiosity and interest. Living on the coast I was open to different possibilities and I started to dream. Where I grew up was fertile ground for creativity, being close to nature. But somehow I also felt stimulated to travel and see the world.

CR: Would you say this environment influenced your life choices?

KE: I think we’re born with things we need to do in this world but the environment around us will also have an impact. If it’s a nourishing environment then we can do more. This is why I work so much to create the context for WIN Conference.

CR: What do you remember most about those early days around the kitchen table?

KE: The first conference was memorable because it seemed impossible. There were so many obstacles. Someone had given me a free venue for the event. But because it was free, they managed to sell it to someone else three weeks before the date so I had to find another place. Then the next year we had another venue and it burned down. When I think back there were many obstacles!

WIN Conference workshop session

CR: You were also bringing new ideas and practices to the traditional business environment.

KE: Early on at WIN we said it’s about the whole person. We started the conference with yoga in the morning and included mindfulness and music in the program. This was strange for people at the time. There was a risk in doing it because some people might not like it. We talked about inclusion and diversity, women in leadership…many topics that are mainstream today. But in the early days these weren’t mainstream. This has changed a lot in the past few years.

CR: What encouraged you explore these ideas?

KE: I could see it all coming and sensed it would be good to get women together. In the early days, many of the businesswomen who came to WIN had adopted a very masculine type of behavior inside their organizations. Coming to a place that proposed a feminine paradigm was weird for them.

CR: How have you seen attitudes evolve?

KE: Today people understand more this idea of a feminine paradigm. Of course we need masculine values of focus and structure and building things. But it’s also clear we need to integrate more of the ‘feminine’: intuition, receptivity, and sensory awareness. WIN gives you a chance to feel what it could be like with more feminine values.

Taking a moment to breathe at WIN Conference

CR: What do you hope people take away from the experience?

KE: As we say at WIN, we are creating ‘agents of possibility’. When we are together with people that support us and see our potential, we can do more. Now we need to make sure this is so strong in each person that when you return to your day-to-day life you don’t automatically fall back into old ways.

CR: Where did you find support to create such an environment for yourself?

KE: Around the time I started WIN, I was very active in a theatre group in Milan. I met a theatre teacher who was working in zen-based theatre and started to work on understanding who I am: what if I am not the sum of my personality or the things that I own or my job?

Another influence came from a speaker at our second WIN Conference. She recommended this book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I become aware of being on a journey. Sometimes people say you’re on a journey to a destination. But it’s more correct to say you’re ‘journeying’.

CR: What do you see now on the horizon?

KE: I see the possibility of growing WIN worldwide. I don’t yet know exactly how but we’re looking at bringing WIN to other countries. We also recently made a documentary film called In the Right Light about the story of WIN. I have in mind another film featuring many of the speakers from conference.

When we are together with people who support us and see the best in us, we can do even more.

CR: You inspire so many people with your work. Where do you turn for your own inspiration?

KE: I continue to do creativity workshops every summer in zen-based theatre. Plus I do my yoga and writing. I get inspiration from hanging out with friends and family. I like nature too: walking in the mountains. It is important for me to be able to create. If I only do administration and management then I get tired. I must also do something creative to find that vitality to keep me going.

CR: What is the one thing we could all do differently to make the world more beautiful?

KE: We can embrace more: be more inclusive and gracious in how we interact with people. Beauty is not only in objects – like a painting – it’s also how we build each other up. Every one of us can create beauty. If you want to do something, do it! And see where it leads.

WIN is a mission driven organisation and reference for women working internationally, as well as for companies active in women’s leadership, diversity and inclusion. Learn more about WIN activities and the 20th annual WIN Conference in Oslo, Norway.

(All images courtesy of Kristin Engvig)