Globalization has raised the importance of international relations. How else can nations and industries progress forward through peaceful measures that respect the rights of others?
The same could be said of digital transformation. Industries, nations and individuals have certainly benefited from the outcomes of technology-led innovations. Regulation is one area that is still slow in keeping up with changes. But it is not alone. Gender equality while improving is just as slow.
This year’s international women’s day campaign theme is Choose to Challenge. The call to action is “We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.”
Choose to Challenge
During a call with FutureCIO, Ceri Howes, head of Regulatory at Opensignal, quoted a 2018 OECD Empowering Women in the Digital Age report, that said despite women accounting for half of the global population, at least in the telecom space, women leaders only accounted for 20%.
In commenting on equal representation at the highest levels, Howes said it’s just good business (to have an equal number of women leaders. She calmly declares this as one of the challenges the industry faces. There is progress but still a long way to go.
“International women’s day is an opportunity to highlight that challenge even if it’s only one day in the calendar. Choosing the challenge is about understanding and identifying these, to begin with, what the barriers are in the context we work in,” she explained.
The pandemic is not a distraction
Howes concede that the COVID-19 pandemic is diverting attention from a lot of things. She acknowledged that her approach to problems is never binary.
“Whereas the pandemic has taken a lot of the attention, and rightly so, it has also stimulated discussions and awareness around the role of women both within the professional and home context.
“I think it’s an opportunity to have a frank and honest discussion about how businesses can work better and be more flexible so that men and women step into those roles in a way that is more equal and balance,” she opined.
Qualities of leadership (has no gender)
Howes chimed disagreement to gender being a criterion of good leadership. For her, the same qualities stand out for men as they do for women. She suggested that to solve the challenge of gender inequality when it comes to leadership, it is important to stop reinforcing gender stereotypes by thinking of leaders as male or female.
“We should aspire to be just good leaders and look at what those qualities are across genders. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I’ve had just as many fantastic male bosses as female ones. My mentors are pretty evenly split. So, I see this as an opportunity to look at the values more constructively,” she elaborated.
She listed several qualities that for her can be wells of aspirations: humility, expertise, actively listening, able to see the bigger picture, have a personal mission statement, be authentic, be accountable for the decisions you make, encourage collaboration/communication, levels of technical understanding.
She also added that within the regulated sector like telecom, a good leader can think quickly but act carefully which is very important in the regulatory space where we need to balance a slow-moving legacy regulatory against the backdrop of a fast-moving industry.
STEM hole
Laments the continuing low number of young women and girls coming into STEM. She is adamant the number needs to improve.
“We can’t discount the importance of STEM education. This will be essential in improving the number of women in leadership positions [in this sector] over time,” she said. For those of us who didn’t have robust STEM early education, I think it’s important that we stay flexible in our thinking, keep an eye on what’s going on from an innovation perspective space beyond our sector, keeping a diverse range of interests and constantly learning is important.”
Lessons in leadership
According to Howe, among the bosses she has served under, the people she found aspirational were those who actively listen, and not just wait for the person to say something so they can get their word in.
“I believe that to be a good leader you have to stop talking sometimes and listen to what people are saying.”
Barriers to a leadership ladder
Howes believes that being a woman is no barrier to becoming a (technology) leader. Rather, she sees the pace of technology change is a challenge to everyone.
“The second you get your head around something (innovation), the next thing comes out two weeks later. It can be a challenge to not be overloaded with information. There are so many interesting and exciting things going on,” she chided.
“To have a focus and balance in your career I think is essential. It's okay to have an area of expertise – it doesn't mean you are pigeonholing yourself. That is something that I’ve had to learn. I am interested in so many things that trying to focus on is something of a challenge.”
Advice for the next generation
Put yourself out there. Be confident.
Howes concede it’s easier said than done. There is research that suggests that when a woman looks at a job description, she tends to look at every single bullet point. When a man looks at a job description he often looks at about half of the qualifications and says ‘yeah I meet most of those. I’m going to go for it’.
“To the women that I mentor, I always say there is no harm in trying to put yourself out there. You will be amazed at how many live by this ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality. I think this lack of confidence, to take the jump, make the connection even if it doesn’t seem obvious, is a huge barrier for women in this industry,” she commented.
She also stressed the importance of developing one’s network. She sees her network as one of her greatest assets.
So much depends on the leadership you have. Find allies, whether they are male or female. Don’t expect that just because someone is a woman that she is a good ally.
Also, don’t become a mentee to tick a box.
“Think things through what you are trying to get out of the mentorship. He or she is not someone to vent to. You need to have some pretty tangible outcomes you want to see from that relationship,” she suggested.
For Howes, every mentor has brought different strengths to her career.
“If you are looking at mentorship, be clear about what you want in that relationship. And make sure you are respecting their time,” she concluded.
Click on the podchat player above for the full dialogue.
