Reflections on Culture, Leadership, and New Beginnings with Malika Begin

Apr 17

By Larraine Segil

At EWA, we are always seeking women who are building with purpose. Women whose work solves real problems with clarity and intention. Malika Begin is one of those women.

Malika is at the front line of what today’s leadership landscape looks like. In our conversation, we spoke about the growing pressure leaders are under, managing rapid change, doing more with less, and leading teams that often feel disconnected from one another.

One of the clearest themes she’s seeing is the need for better collaboration. Not just across projects, but across functions, priorities, and personalities. In many organizations, people are operating in silos. Alignment is often assumed, but rarely built with intention. And without that foundation, even the best strategies struggle to take hold.

A recurring challenge we discussed is how rarely leaders from different parts of an organization actually sit down together. They may share goals on paper, but in practice, they operate independently, separated by functions, schedules, or even language. And yet, so much of what drives success requires collaboration across those divides.

That’s why structured opportunities to bring people together matter. When leaders from across departments are given the space to think, listen, and learn side by side, something shifts. It becomes less about roles and more about shared responsibility. Trust builds. Alignment forms. And the work that follows moves faster, with fewer missteps and more clarity.

Building for the Long Run

In our conversation, Malika shared something that stayed with me. She said, “That was the best leadership development experience of my entire career, and that is my goal. That they look back, even a decade later, and say, that changed things for me.”

That is not a quick win. That is a long-view commitment to doing work that matters.

So much of what we build today is designed for immediacy. Fast turnaround. Quick validation. But the work that truly makes a difference, the kind people remember years later, is usually quieter. It takes more time. It asks for more care.

It made me think about what each of us is working toward. Will it last? Will it leave someone better, clearer, stronger? Or will it fade as soon as the moment passes?

There is a difference between doing something that works for now and creating something that continues to work long after you are gone.

That is the kind of intention we need more of. Not for credit. But for meaning.

When You Try What You Once Resisted

There was a time when Malika was certain that some of her work could only happen in person. She said “absolutely not” when asked if it could translate online.

Then the pandemic came. Like so many others, she was forced to reconsider.

And something remarkable happened.

“It was brilliant,” she told me. “Two executives said it changed everything for them. They told me, you have to keep doing this.”

That kind of shift reminds us that innovation is not always about having a bold new idea. Sometimes, it’s about listening when the moment asks us to try again.

Even the most experienced leaders have to revisit their assumptions. What we resist might just be the path to deeper impact.

And what once felt impossible might turn out to be exactly what’s needed.

What You Hold Onto

In our conversation, Malika said something that stood out: “I’m not handing this off to my team. This is something I developed. It’s very personal to me.”

It reminded me that even as we grow in our roles, there is often one part of the work we hold onto. Not because we have to. But because we care too much to let it go.

For Malika, that care is evident. The way she stays close to the process, the relationships, the experience. It is not obligation. It is passion.

And it made me wonder. What is the part of your work you still protect? The thing you are proud to stay involved in, even when delegation would be easier?

Sometimes that is where the heart of our leadership lives.

I am grateful to have Malika in our EWA sisterhood. She brings thoughtfulness, humility, and strength.

And I look forward to seeing how her impact continues to grow.