I APPROACHED the writing of a column about "women in business" with some trepidation. (So you should: Ed). The last thing I wanted was to be condescending.
But I also didn't want to be given grief from the boys at the pub, or even worse be confused with David Moseley, a columnist for Media24 of whom we suspect grave misogyny. In any event, I have already taken abuse regarding a notorious "pink drink incident" which I shall not further divulge. (I have the details: Ed)
But... Judging from the interest shown in the "extraordinary women in business" presentation at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) earlier this week, there is definitely a need to discuss the subject of female business talent on both the entrepreneurial and corporate front.
The wake-up call came courtesy of Angela Dick, the founder of Transman who presented at the Gibs conference. Here was a woman who had built a R500m recruitment business placing around 10 000 people per day in casual labour. That's great but I, and probably a chunk of South Africa, had never heard of her.
This got me thinking about how women promote themselves in the business world either in a corporate or in a small business environment, as well as what could be done to improve this.
I did some highly non-technical research for this column on Tuesday using a sample base of 23 women in the 25-40 age group with small business and large corporate experience. The feedback was interesting.
MBA vs mentor
For all the talk of transformation and inclusion, women still largely feel marginalised at management level, not to mention relatively short-changed economically. That's not news, but I find it interesting that when asked if they'd be better served with an MBA under their belts or the option of a business mentor, 95% chose a mentor.
Importantly, the mentor could not be foisted upon them, women in my poll said. Nor would a generic life or business coach suffice. No, it had to be somebody they enlisted and who could best understand their specific circumstances.
Without question there are very different skills needed for women to succeed in business. Where I suspect I can indulge in a boozy, contact-building lunch, women need to be far more circumspect.
"I have often been at business functions where there is a one in ten female/male split. It's difficult in these situations to be fully welcomed into the 'networking' scene," says one female colleague. Thus I conclude women need to be far more tactical about networking than men.
Moreover, instead of just putting in the extra hours at work in search of recognition, women must develop a strategy when attending networking functions.
Opening the right doors
A male can phone up a professional business colleague and say "Let's go for beers or coffee and chat," whereas for a woman, I believe, it's far tougher and that means it takes a bit more planning.
Four of my informal survey respondents said a good mentor would help them to open doors and allow them to enjoy meetings on a purely professional basis. Have you found somebody who can open these doors for you?
Two respondents said that while they were nervous about opportunities such as speaking at high profile local or international business conferences, it was nonetheless a critical part of their networking and professional development strategy. It was a key opportunity for them to grow their personal brands and meet people, they said.
Business, be it small or large, has no sympathy for emotions, gender bias or even hard work. It is a machine that consistently hungers for evolving skills and people. The moment you stop developing is the moment you become expendable.
The clincher for me - that I thought summed up women in business - was a comment from Khanyi Dhlomo the head of Ndalo Media who spoke at the Gibs function: "When I tried to compete as a man I fell flat on my face, we as women need to work to our strengths."
- Fin24.com