When Barbara Bowes moved to Winnipeg from Island Lake, Man., she had $500 in her pocket, two young boys in her arms and no idea where to go. Having just left her husband, Barbara, then 30, was frightened and alone, and a stranger to the city. With no other options, she sold her boat, her furniture and even her rubber boots to raise enough money to go to summer school.

“It was very hard because I had nobody here. We lived in student housing and slept on the floor. I told my kids we were camping because they were too small to know any better,” she says. “But on the bus, I met a lady who helped me find counselling and a place to buy second-hand clothes. She didn’t know me from a hole in the ground, but she reached out to help me and since then, I’ve reached out to women in need.”

That motivation helped Barbara put herself through the masters of education program at the University of Manitoba. Immediately upon graduation, she began work as a resource and English as a second language teacher, and right away, she realized that her thirst for education wasn’t going to be easily quenched.

What is Beauty?
Somebody who is open and friendly. Somebody who is down to earth and shares their knowledge or expertise.

“When I was at work, I asked too many questions about how the system was working or not working because I felt the system I was in at the time didn’t treat women well,” she says. “There were no women leaders and there were a lot of restricted policies and procedures. Instead of helping employees become more productive, they were detrimental and really decreased our morale.”

Realizing she could offer solutions to the problems in the workplace, Barbara took a course in human resources and launched her own company out of her home in 1981. Twenty-seven years later, Barbara is now president of Bowes Leadership Group, Inc., a group of companies that provide services in benefits, executive searches and human resources.

Through a weekly business column in the Winnipeg Free Press and her constant advice to clients on how to be successful in the workplace, Barbara is doing everything she can to avoid the sting of Queen Bee Syndrome.

“Often when women are successful, they stop helping others reach the top, and I refuse to do that,” she says. “I will help anybody, and to me, that’s what a beautiful person is: somebody who is open and friendly. Somebody who is down-to-earth and shares their knowledge or expertise.”

Barbara shares her knowledge with female immigrants and women who have been out of the workplace for years, helping them understand how to study, look and apply for jobs. Having pioneered the transferable skills approach to writing resumes in 1981, Barbara uses her “easy resume” book to coach women on how to sell their skills.

“Most people take themselves for granted and don’t give themselves credit for what they can do. If you tell someone who you are and what you can do, they’ll fall in love with you and won’t care where you’ve worked,” she says. “If I can guide them in the right direction, I’m happy.”