The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has launched a new leadership program for women's health professionals, highlighting emerging trends in leadership development that prioritize specialized training and the foundational role of emotional intelligence for managers.
This development arrives as organizations increasingly recognize specific gaps in executive training and core competencies. The launch of a targeted program for women in medicine, alongside concurrent analysis emphasizing a widespread lack of formal emotional intelligence (EQ) training, signals a strategic shift in how effective leadership is cultivated. The immediate consequence is a more structured approach to equipping leaders, particularly in high-stakes fields like healthcare, with both the strategic and interpersonal skills required to navigate complex organizational challenges and drive systemic change.
What We Know So Far
- The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has launched the Leadership Empowerment Series, a 15-module foundational program for early career OBGYNs and other women’s health professionals, according to figo.org.
- Many leaders across all levels have not received formal emotional intelligence (EQ) training, according to a Forbes report based on interviews with learning and development professionals.
- The Michigan Women's Commission recently released the Menopause Memorandum, which makes recommendations to help women thrive in midlife, as announced by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
- Significant barriers to leadership for women nurses persist within the healthcare sector, according to analysis from HealthLeaders Media.
- Building Leaders + Legacies recently announced its 2026 cohort for Executive and Professional Women Leaders, an initiative focused on leadership advancement.
New Leadership Programs for Women in Health
A significant trend in leadership development is the creation of highly specialized programs designed to address the unique challenges faced by specific professional cohorts. The new Leadership Empowerment Series from the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) exemplifies this targeted approach. According to FIGO, the series is a comprehensive 15-module program designed specifically for early career OBGYNs and other professionals in women’s health. The initiative aims to provide a foundational leadership education that is often absent from traditional medical training.
The program's curriculum covers a wide range of essential leadership topics. Modules focus on practical skills such as advocacy, effective communication, and change management, as well as strategic concepts like gender equity and team motivation. The stated goal of the series is to equip participants with the necessary skills, confidence, and strategic insight to drive meaningful change at local, national, and global levels. "Members of our professional societies need to take up effective leadership – we must engage, accelerate and be accountable to save more maternal and neonatal lives and impact development," a statement from FIGO noted. The series was developed under the FIGO LDI: REACH programme and was funded by the Gates Foundation.
This initiative is part of a broader pattern of efforts to support and advance women in professional and executive roles. In Michigan, the state's Women’s Commission released the Menopause Memorandum, a report with recommendations designed to help women thrive in the workplace during midlife, a critical period for career advancement. Similarly, the organization Building Leaders + Legacies announced its 2026 Executive and Professional Women Leaders cohort, another program structured to foster leadership capabilities. These programs collectively underscore a growing recognition that generic leadership training may be insufficient to overcome the specific barriers women face, particularly in demanding fields like healthcare, where obstacles to advancement for women in nursing and medicine are well-documented.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Modern Leadership
Parallel to the rise of specialized training is a renewed focus on emotional intelligence (EQ) as a cornerstone of effective management. While the concept of EQ is widely recognized in business circles, its practical application and formal training remain inconsistent. According to a Forbes report that included interviews with 40 learning and development leaders, many managers and executives across all organizational levels have never received any formal EQ training. This gap exists despite a high demand for skills that are direct outcomes of emotional intelligence.
The report notes that the most requested training topics from nearly 1,000 member organizations at the Employers Association of the NorthEast (EANE) are conflict management, accountability, and communication. These skills, while often treated as standalone competencies, are deeply rooted in emotional intelligence. According to Forbes, a foundational understanding of EQ makes the training for these other skills "land much better." The issue is that while managers may be familiar with the term "emotional intelligence," many are reportedly unable to name its four core skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. This indicates a superficial understanding that prevents leaders from effectively diagnosing and improving their interpersonal dynamics.
This deficit in EQ training has significant implications for team performance, employee engagement, and organizational culture. Without a strong foundation in emotional intelligence, managers may struggle to build trust, motivate their teams, and navigate the complexities of workplace relationships. The report also raises a forward-looking concern related to artificial intelligence. It claims the increasing use of AI could lead to 'social-emotional offloading,' a phenomenon where individuals might delegate relational and emotional thinking to large language models, potentially further eroding essential human leadership skills if not managed properly. This makes the deliberate cultivation of EQ not just a current need but a future-proofing strategy for leadership effectiveness.
Developing Emotional Intelligence for Women's Health Leaders
The healthcare sector is where specialized programs for women and the critical need for emotional intelligence converge, directly addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by women leaders in medicine. These challenges include systemic biases, unique workplace pressures, and the high-stakes nature of patient care. FIGO's new Leadership Empowerment Series emphasizes skills such as advocacy and communication, which are not abstract leadership qualities but practical applications of high emotional intelligence.
Advocating for patients, staff, or policy changes requires a deep understanding of others' perspectives (social awareness) and the ability to build consensus and influence outcomes (relationship management). Effective communication in a clinical or administrative setting depends on clarity, empathy, and the ability to manage one's own emotional responses during stressful situations (self-awareness and self-management). By integrating these competencies into its curriculum, the FIGO program implicitly addresses the EQ gap, equipping emerging leaders with the interpersonal tools needed to succeed.
An integrated approach to leadership development is vital for overcoming documented barriers for women in healthcare. Building high-performing teams, managing conflict within clinical groups, and leading organizational change all hinge on a leader's ability to understand and manage emotions—their own and those of others. As leadership development evolves, the most effective programs move beyond generic business principles to provide context-specific training that embeds emotional intelligence as a core, non-negotiable competency for navigating the modern workplace.
What We Know About Next Steps
The FIGO Leadership Empowerment Series is now available for its intended audience of early career women's health professionals; according to FIGO, each of its 15 modules takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. In Michigan, the recommendations from the Menopause Memorandum have been released for public and organizational consideration. Separately, Building Leaders + Legacies has formally announced the members of its 2026 cohort, with that program set to proceed as scheduled.
