More than a decade ago, Sherly Sandberg, already into her second year at Facebook spoke at Ted Talk to talk about why there were too few women leaders. She described the condition where women face harder choices between professional success and personal fulfilment.
In 2021, the call to arms by the organisers of the International Women’s Day is “Choose to Challenge”. Arguably in today’s digitally transformative world, there are a growing number of women professionals who are successful at navigating a career of their choosing and finding fulfilment in the process.
Technology empowers leadership
Hwei Oh, chief marketing officer and head of developer relations at Ubiq Security see technology as a powerful enabler.
“With the internet and the wealth of information now at our fingertips, women can self-educate, build strong social networks and have a far stronger collective voice than before. Women can single-handedly create their businesses and build greater independence, especially if they’ve struggled to work their way up-the-ladder or encountered glass ceilings,” she added.
Virginia Ngai, director of strategy at CatchOn says technology and digital transformation have fundamentally changed how a leader manages, whether you are male or female.
“Leaders used to inspire and manage on the premise that they were co-located with their teams. Now it is commonly accepted that leaders may not necessarily be in the same time zone or location thanks to technology that has radically transformed how we work and manage people.”
Virginia Ngai
“COVID-19 has accelerated the shift to remote working and leaders need to build trusting relationships and bond with their team very quickly. One of the hurdles for women in leadership in the past was balancing family and work life. The rise of digital transformation and flexible working has provided women with more opportunities to thrive in leadership,” she added.
For Joanne Wong, vice president of international markets at LogRhythm, digital transformation is about disrupting and challenging the status quo – both in and outside of tech.
“As the barriers of entry to tech continue to be lowered, more women have the opportunity to harness the power of tech to be a part of these conversations and enact change. However, we need a sustained and top-down approach from the corporate level to advocate gender fairness and strengthen representation in senior leadership and executive board positions,” she opined.
Crisis opens opportunities
Has the pandemic drawn attention away from the movement towards greater equality in the workplace?
Wong says the two priorities are not binary but rather sees the opportune moment for the movement.
“We are facing an extraordinary situation, and as we develop novel solutions to prepare for the new norm, we need all hands on deck.”
Joanne Wong
“Women bring to the table unique experiences and perspectives that enhance the quality of discussions while serving as valuable and reliable contributors to develop innovative and meaningful solutions for today’s challenges. With that, we must stay the course and keep championing female leaders and empower them to make a positive impact with the help of technology,” she elaborated.
The pandemic may have created a crisis for many organizations, forcing many to rethink their business models to stay afloat. For Oh, the crisis has elevated traditional “female leadership” functions, such as human resources, legal and marketing, to the forefront by taking charge to lead businesses through the crisis.
“This has allowed women leaders to demonstrate their leadership skills and shine through the process,” she opined.
Qualities that stand above the rest
LogRhythm’s Wong cautions about attributing women’s success to gender-specific traits. For her, doing so only serves to perpetuate traditional gender stereotypes and takes away women’s inherent ability.
“Leaders, regardless of gender, must be smart, competent, and can inspire a shared vision within the organisation,” she added.
She acknowledged, however, the continued underrepresentation and unfair expectations of women in the tech industry.
“Those who manage to overcome these hurdles and not only survive, but thrive, demonstrate extraordinary grit and resilience. These leaders also have first-hand experience of the need to have positive role models and a supportive community, so may be more intentional in mentoring and nurturing junior members of their team,” she continued.
For her part, Ubiq’s Oh observed that qualities such as flexibility, agility and open-mindedness are key to success.
“Women technology leaders should have these in abundance while creating a culture of equality, respect and balance. Leadership is a tough gig, and women will encounter additional biases, so expect this and develop coping mechanisms to manage this. It’s the gut-instinct thing, don’t ignore it,” she commented.
On a more general note, Catchon’s Ngai sees critical and strategic thinking, a growth mindset, confidence, trustworthiness as qualities important to a leader. She contends that women generally excel in being effective communicators and emotional intelligence.
“To constantly be curious and to realise that you never stop learning especially in the tech space. Resilience is crucial," said Ngai
Lessons in leadership
Ubiq’s see resilience and self-sufficiency as vital in a leadership journey.
“Ultimately you have to be reliant on yourself to keep up the momentum, as they say, there are no free lunches, be your driving force and champion,” she added.
For Ngai, no leader can do things alone and therefore having a strong team that respects and trust each other is important.
Wong concurs and adds: “One of the ways I’ve anchored my leadership style is around the idea of “if you focus on your people, the results will follow.”
“Demonstrating to the team that they are valued individuals, beyond the work they do, helps to give more meaning to the time they spend at work. To thrive as a leader, I believe fervently in also investing in a workplace that embraces diversity and inclusion in ideas, experiences and perspectives in all aspects of the organisation,” she continued.
Advice
Wong says to celebrate the small successes as they come and be kind to yourself for the mistakes you may make along the way. The road ahead is not always smooth and adjustments are inevitable.
“But no matter these challenges, stay true to yourself and know your worth. It also really helps to join a community, where you can learn from other women embarking on their unique career journeys - not only will they provide a crucial support system, but also invaluable lessons and perspectives that can shape your narrative,” she confided.
Oh says not to be afraid to put yourself out there, to take on more responsibility, learn new skills, build personal credibility and find supportive networks. There will be knock-backs along the way, but use these as points of learning, and move onwards and upwards.
“Ultimately, you need to be yourself. Don’t become who you think they expect you to be. Do what motivates you and find supporting networks and co-workers.”
Hwei Oh
“Think creatively when encountering obstacles, and use your network to help. There are plenty of companies who promote equality, speak to your network to find out who these are. Never put up with toxic behaviour,” she added.
CatchOn’s Ngai concurs on the importance of a support network.
“Find a mentor and well as be a mentor. Sometimes it can get lonely being a leader and it helps to have other women leaders to bounce ideas off of,” she concluded.
