Introducing Woman of Impact Bronwen Knox, Olympic Athlete and Lawyer.
A true High Performing Woman, Bronwen Knox has held leadership roles that most of us can only dream about. As captain of the Australian Women’s Water Polo Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bron has a unique experience and perspective on leadership, engagement and voice.
Bron’s insight into the token seat & gender empathy has us thinking about their influence and impact in all aspects of our work and lives.
What leadership roles have you held and what is your leadership style?
I have held a number of leadership roles in my sporting career. I was in the Australian Women’s Water Polo Squads leadership group from 2008 until I stepped away from the sport in 2017. I was the Captain of the Australian Women’s Water Polo Team in 2010, 2013-2016 – including the 2016 Rio Olympic Water Polo Team.
I have also captained my club team in the Australian Water Polo League over a number of years.
What makes a good leader?
I don’t believe that there is one formula that makes up a good leader. There are those that lead from the front, encouraging others to follow suit. There are those that lead from the back, encouraging others to take the leap. I do, however, believe that good leaders tend to have a level of empathy, self-awareness and critical thinking.
What do you think women could do to better support each other?
I think there is this idea that there is only one seat available at the table for a ‘token’ female voice. I think we need to keep championing each other and work to remove this idea that there is only one seat for us at the top. Be honest and vulnerable with our tribe and reach out when we need help.
What challenges have you faced in the past in relation to gender equality?
One of the biggest challenges I have faced is what I call gender empathy. My twenty years in high performance sport has shown me the lack of female coaches and support personnel that work in the area. The majority of my sporting career I have had to deal with male coaching staff and at times their indifference to issues we may face as female athletes. At times we have been subjected to being dictated to rather than collaborated with. While our male counterparts have more freedom and more power to negotiate, often seeing them stay in the sport longer.
What steps have you taken to challenge gender equality?
I am sure there is more that I could be doing to challenge gender equality, but the small steps I have taken are to help give confidence to the next generation to speak up and embrace their voice. Coaching sport at the grassroots level you can see that girls are afraid to make a mistake and when given feedback their response is to apologies. We need to keep encouraging girls to embrace opportunities and keep pushing the boundaries at a young age in hope that this behaviour will become the norm and not the exception.
What are your goals for the future?
My goals for the future are to help safeguard the sporting arena for the younger generations coming through. The sport industry is interesting and tends to make excuses with the reasoning – “that is just how things are done” or “that’s just sport”. Our female athletes are underrepresented and feel like their voice carries no weight. It is time to find strength in numbers and empower change within the industry.