Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

How women can succeed at the workplace

In Singapore, everyone has equal access to education. The gaps in educational opportunities between men and women are much smaller here than those in neighbouring Asian countries.

More men occupy leadership positions than women here. Only 8 per cent of board directors are female, said the Singapore Board Diversity Report in 2013. Photo: Bloomberg

More men occupy leadership positions than women here. Only 8 per cent of board directors are female, said the Singapore Board Diversity Report in 2013. Photo: Bloomberg

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

In Singapore, everyone has equal access to education. The gaps in educational opportunities between men and women are much smaller here than those in neighbouring Asian countries.

Singapore men have a literacy rate of more than 98 per cent, while women in the Republic have achieved an equally encouraging rate of above 94 percent. Looking at the statistics for higher education, the percentage of local women attending university (23 per cent) is equally close to that of local men (27 per cent).

Do these successes mean little difference exists in professional opportunities and development for men and women? Unfortunately, the reality is, while 76 per cent of men are in the workforce, only 58 per cent of women are part of it.

The gap continues to widen higher up the organisational hierarchy — more men occupy leadership positions than women.

Only 8 per cent of board directors are women, said the Singapore Board Diversity Report last year.

I was part of the team at the Center for Creative Leadership that set out to understand the journey of senior women leaders.

In tandem with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, we conducted interviews with 21 high-profile women leaders in Singapore.

All the interviewees were Singaporean and held senior leadership positions in their organisations. Most had been working for about 25 years and had stayed in the same organisation for about 12 years. These women came from different industries — from finance and banking to science and technology.

Although none of them mentioned being discriminated against as a womanin the workplace, they shared their challenges with us.

A big challenge is juggling professional and family commitments. In an Asian society such as Singapore, women are still expected to take on a larger role in family responsibilities, such as taking care of children, the elderly and other family members. Some have responsibilities beyond work — they serve the community and other associations.

These responsibilities test women leaders’ ability to manage their time and energy effectively.

Another challenge is navigating the competitive and sometimes cruel work environment that modern corporate structures have enforced

on them. Set up by men, these structures emphasise speed and aggressiveness and are largely still male dominated.

Women have to adapt to such a culture if they want to survive. In some cases, they need to work doubly hard to prove themselves.

 

CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER

 

What are some key lessons from these senior women leaders that can help emerging women leaders succeed?

 

Be passionate about your work: The positive energy from our interviewees was contagious. They were passionate about what they were doing and held the belief that they were as capable as men in taking up any challenging assignments. They also worked hard and were resilient when they encountered setbacks.

Additionally, these women leaders emphasised the importance of leveraging their strengths as women.

Indeed, research has shown that feminine-style leadership, characterised by being empathetic, humane and relationship-oriented, is moreeffective in modern organisations.

 

Gain support from organisations:

Companies play a significant role in facilitating the development of women leaders. They can provide equal access to special assignments and training programmes, keep track of talented women and provide flexibility to those with family responsibilities.

 

Build a strong support network: Family and friends can play an important supporting role in the personal lives of women leaders. Some firms also have formal or informal women associations, where women colleagues provide support to one another.

Women tend to be more relationship-oriented and are often team players. Hence, networks such as these are a great source of support.

What can women do on an individual level? With equal opportunity, they are equally capable in assuming leadership positions as men.

 

Be true to self: Acting authentically means being clear about one’s life goals and striving towards them. Women should control their destiny and not be afraid to speak up.

Acting authentically also means women should embrace their feminine nature and be confident of their leadership style.

 

Set priorities and seek balance: Women often play multiple roles within and outside the workplace. It is therefore important to prioritise responsibilities at different points of time to balance where they channel their energy.

Engaging in non-work time can help women recharge, so they can be more productive at work.

 

Connect with people: In organisations today, teamwork and collaboration are crucial in getting tasks done effectively.

Connecting with people requires one to listen to others and show empathy. For leaders, it also means they can get things accomplished by trusting people.

Moreover, successful stories have confirmed the importance of women helping women. Senior women leaders can help groom junior women who are talented by being role models or by supporting their mentees. Junior women can also form a network to provide career and emotional support to one another.

The points above are only some of the ways to help women further develop their essential leadership skills. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution to becoming a better leader — every woman needs to figure out what is best suited for her.

Hopefully, through these lessons gained from the experience of successful women leaders, more women will be inspired to actively take on leadership roles at their workplace.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sophia Zhao is a research scientist at The Center for Creative Leadership.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.