Julia Middleton, Founder of Common Purpose
Julia was born in London, grew up in New York and graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is the founder of Common Purpose, an organisation that is the pioneer in leadership development. Since 2020, she is leading a social initiative known as Women Emerging from Isolation. She aims to give women a voice and hopes to see more women become leaders and global citizens of the world.
Common Purpose – A Purpose for the Community
After completing university in the UK, Julia worked for a number of years in the private sector. At times she found it frustrating to work in a big organization.
She explains that when you start out, you need to focus on one task. As you grow, you need ways to gain a broader view of the context you are operating in. She learnt early on that you have to not only understand the organization but also the community.
At 29, Julia founded Common Purpose, one of the largest leadership DEVELOPMENT organizations. The principle was to have a broader programme not only for company leadership roles but also to have a bigger impact as a citizen.
Most of the Common Purpose alumni have a bigger network and a bigger picture of the world around them. They have a distrust of homogeneity, gained cultural intelligence, are more effective collaborators and have gained a broader perspective on decisions. They realize that they need a career as a citizen, not just as a professional.
Women Emerging From Isolation (not COVID-19)
In 2019, Julia handed over the role of CEO of Common Purpose to follow some of her other passions. Now acting as the founder and volunteer, she is still involved in the organization.
In 2020, Julia founded a social initiative known as Women Emerging from Isolation. Julia says, “After the pandemic, things have to change, we should not assume that they will”. Particularly, leadership has to be more collaborative and multicultural. Women need to emerge from isolation, need to be heard, and they can be key drivers in this change. Women have a natural tendency to collaborate and share experiences.
Julia emphasizes that she doesn’t want to just reiterate existing leadership principles. She explains that most leadership books were written by men and the ones written by women are often about how to lead in a man’s world. Women need to stop leading like men. They need to lead as women.
One of the activities that this initiative has started is a film club or Youtube channel. Once a week, a short film is posted with a woman discussing factors keeping women in isolation and how to emerge from it. These women are from all around the world and want to share their experiences and voice with others. As she says it, “These are films that are low on production, but high on quality”.
Learn to say NO
Apart from running Women Emerging from Isolation, Julia is an active part of several other social ventures such as Alfanar, a venture philanthropy firm that invests in long term sustainable and social impact projects in Arab countries. Not to mention, during her time at Common Purpose, she published two books, “Beyond Authority: Leadership in a Changing World” and “Cultural Intelligence: CQ: The Competitive Edge for Leaders Crossing Border”. So how does someone like Julia manage her time?
Julia says, “Learn to say no”. You need to choose the things to put your energy on. Get nervous for those tasks that you do simply because someone has flattered you to do them. Balancing is a constant struggle and having people surround you who tell you the truth will help you with that.
With some more time, she wants to work with 15-20 women from different countries and cultures to collaborate on an approach to leadership which resonates with women. She emphasizes that there needs to be more women expressing leadership in a different way.
She also strives to be a loving mother, grandmother and spend time following her other passions such as painting.
Julia’s inspiration
Julia has had many role models throughout her life. There is no perfect person in this world and everyone has their weaknesses. As she puts it, “Think of people like packs of cards”. She has been inspired by many, taking and sharing the ‘card’ from their pack that works for her as she puts together her own pack.
That being said, she holds her father dear to her. She reminisces that it was a huge benefit having an immensely talented father. He was a man made by his own wit, intelligence and charm.
Leaders are not made overnight
Julia advises students, young professionals to ride and enjoy the journey. Do not have perfectionist standards. Remember, leaders do not get a lot of applause. Avoid having flattery choose your path, keep listening sharply, and get worried if you don’t make mistakes.