Mastering Effective Leadership: Insights from Patrenia Werts Onuoha at AWC Lagos Women’s Day Seminar
Distinguished leadership expert Patrenia Werts Onuoha headlines a powerful lineup of speakers at the American Women’s Club of Lagos International Women’s Day, Women’s Development Annual event
The AWC Lagos Legacy
Founded in 1961, The American Women’s Club (AWC) of Lagos began with a simple mission: to support American women making their home in Nigeria’s vibrant commercial capital. What started as a modest gathering of 19 founding members has blossomed into a thriving community of over 200 diverse women, now known for both social connection and impactful charitable initiatives throughout Lagos.
Women’s Day 2025: A Celebration of Leadership
On March 13th, 2025, AWC Lagos hosted its annual virtual seminar in honor of Women’s Day, themed “Accelerate Action: How to be an Efficient and Effective Leader.” While the event featured several notable speakers, today we spotlight the exceptional insights shared by co-host and keynote speaker Patrenia Werts Onuoha.
The seminar began with AWC’s traditional celebration of recent charitable outreaches and an engaging icebreaker session featuring films like “Hidden Figures” and “Six Triple Eight” before introducing the day’s distinguished presenters.
Spotlight on Patrenia Werts Onuoha: Leadership Redefined
When Patrenia took the virtual stage as the featured keynote speaker, she immediately captivated the audience with her opening declaration: “My purpose is to leave you impacted.” As an accomplished professional who successfully balances multiple roles, she embodied her central message that women can indeed “do it all” with the right strategy.
Effectiveness vs. Efficiency: A Racing Metaphor
Using a compelling race track analogy, Patrenia illustrated the crucial difference between effectiveness and efficiency. She described two racers: one following the rules and running clockwise toward the finish line, the other running faster but in the wrong direction (anti-clockwise). While the second racer might reach the physical location of the finish line first, only the rule-following racer actually wins.
“Nothing is worse than doing excellently the thing that should not be done.”
This powerful statement underscored her definition of efficiency as the proper use of resources while focusing on the right areas.
Escaping the Trap of Toxic Productivity
Patrenia referenced Tamu Thomas’s concept of “toxic productivity,” where women feel compelled to overproduce in every aspect of life. She challenged attendees to question their motivations: “What is making you want to stay over-productive?” While productivity driven by personal fulfillment is healthy, many women fall into the trap of seeking external validation.
The solution? Know why you do what you do, choose activities you love, and pursue excellence rather than volume.
The Impacted Leadership Model
3D Framework Approach for Managing Tasks
A highlight of the presentation was Patrenia’s practical 3D Leadership Model:
- Decide: Evaluate which tasks truly need to be done
- Delegate: Determine who should handle each necessary task
- Do: Complete only those tasks that require your specific skills
She warned about the three common traps that prevent effective delegation—the “3 T’s”:
- Time: Believing you don’t have time to train others
- Trust: Not trusting team members with responsibility
- Talent: Underestimating others’ capabilities
The Leader as a Scarce Resource
Perhaps most memorably, Patrenia encouraged leaders to “treat yourself as a scarce resource” and to recognize that “half the time building influence as a leader is in training subordinates.” She noted that often people don’t offer help simply because they perceive strong leaders as not needing assistance.
Her closing wisdom on decision-making provided a framework for action: assess both the risk of a decision and its reversibility to determine how much deliberation is warranted.
Additional Voices of Wisdom
While Patrenia’s session was a highlight, the Women’s Day seminar featured several other notable speakers who complemented her insights with their own expertise. Together, these diverse perspectives created a comprehensive leadership toolkit for attendees, though Patrenia’s practical frameworks and memorable analogies particularly resonated with the audience.
Looking Forward
As AWC Lagos continues its mission of support, service, and empowerment, bringing thought leaders like Patrenia Werts Onuoha to its membership demonstrates the club’s commitment to developing women’s leadership capabilities while fostering meaningful connections.
For more information about upcoming events, featuring speakers of Patrenia’s caliber, or membership opportunities with the American Women’s Club of Lagos, please visit the AWC website.
