We’re continuing our celebration of women in business and their incredible achievements this August!
For centuries, women have battled a stereotype that involves staying home to cook, clean and care for the family. However, with a desire for greater opportunity for equality and overall improved satisfaction with life, women began to enter the workplace and have since proven to be widely successful across various industries. With skills and qualities like task management, communication, patience and empathy, women play a vital role in creating and maintaining a productive work environment. Women tend to excel at encouraging others to talk through problems, stay organized, remain patient and be understanding. The reality is that women can, and should, have a large presence in the world of business.
The trend for women in business is growing and it’s fuelled by women like Stephane Streuders from Key Accounts and Rochelle Van Greunen from aXia Consulting (who we heard from in our previous article https://threepeaks.co.za/women-in-business/). These women are determined to define their own career paths, grow successful businesses and to continue inspiring many other women to follow their dreams of becoming a successful Women In Business. In this article we will be continuing this conversation with Three Peaks’ esteemed Director & fearless female leader, Debbie Vandekan.
Tell us a little about what it’s like being a woman in a high-level position in the financial industry.
“Being a successful woman leader in business has to do with confidence. It’s important to take pride in what you do and have confidence in your skills even in the face of a challenge. Unfortunately, we as women are often perceived as being more emotional and less decisive than men, yet women bring more diverse physical, mental, and emotional experiences to everyday conversations. Use this to your advantage by bringing a fresh perspective to the table.“
How has being a woman in a high-level position contributed towards creating a culture of female leadership that inspires the next generation of women to continue striving toward their own career advancements?
“By having women who are able to make bold and wise decisions as leaders; this helps make the team environment less authoritative and more cooperative, bringing a family-like feel to the team. This boosts teamwork across the organisation and helps implement a new culture by increased productivity, enhanced collaboration, inspired organizational dedication, and improved fairness within the business.
In a women’s life, wearing different hats within their roles is a common occurrence. You can often find them balancing careers, households and taking up the mantel of parental guidance along with many other experiences. These help women leaders to quickly adjust to new situations and focus on finding solutions to real-life work issues.
To gain respect as a formidable businesswoman, it is important to be assertive. You can convey assertiveness through both your speech and your actions – have confidence in your decisions and don’t second-guess yourself. Be confident, have a growth mindset & keep networking!”
