Welcome to my second
#TuesdayTRIOS! To continue celebrating International Women’s day for this
second feature I have asked three insightful questions to three leading ladies
who are all exceptionally inspirational in their own right. They also come from
three very different sectors such as travel, finance and digital marketing, to
prove that – never mind where you work – you can be at the top of your game!
Jessica Bain is Director and co-founder, Latin Routes, the Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Antarctica Travel Specialist.
1. Which is the one thing you wish you had known when you
were just starting out in business?
I wish someone had
told me that patience and perseverance is the key to success at the beginning!
Everything in business takes longer than you want it to and things always cost
more than you plan for so it’s hard to get things done sometimes. It can be
frustrating when you are trying to get a business started but if you
persevere and shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal, then it
will pay off if you are patient.
2. Which female skill, trait or value have you found that
can really add value to a business ?
I think as a female,
I am very assertive. I feel that being an assertive woman in business earns
respect and can help you get what you want!. I try to convey assertiveness by
speaking with authority and purpose but I also feel that this enables people to
have confidence in what you are doing and decisions that you make.
3. Which one thing has really made the difference to you
'success' in business?
Self-belief and
ambition are probably the most important traits in succeeding in business. If
you don't believe you can succeed, then you won't get very far. I have always
believed from the age of 16 when I decided I wanted to start a business, that I
could do it and decided then that I wanted to start a business and so for me
this has got me to where I wanted to be.
Stephanie Cohen is Managing Director, Global Chief Operating Officer,
Fundamental Active Equity at BlackRock, the world’s
largest asset manager.
1. Which is the one thing you wish you had known when you
were just starting out in business?
You have to delegate if you want
to succeed – this is something that I consciously work on still now. As your sphere of influence and
responsibility increases you must learn to delegate for a number of reasons: to
allow you to operate more efficiently and effectively across a greater depth or
bandwidth, to allow you to take on new challenges or areas of expertise and,
very importantly, to motivate those who work for you.
The key to delegating is to
understand the people who work with you and to play to their strengths. Take the time to work out what skills they
come to you with and where you can develop them then provide your team with the
right tasks to allow them to flourish.
2. Which female skill, trait or value have you found that
can really add value to a business?
Empathy – as Stephen Covey said
one should always seek first to understand and then be understood. I’ve seen this trait expressed by both males
and females over the years but in aggregate I see it to a greater extent in
females.
I do find though that females
with the highest levels of empathy also have the lowest levels of
self-confidence as they are hyper-attuned to what other people think of them
and read others beyond their actual intent and meaning.
I work closely with many females
across my business to help them grow their confidence whilst embracing the
natural empathy they have. It does take
time but EQ is a much more powerful indicator of success in a role than IQ and
therefore it’s a trait that should be nurtured and turned into a highly
effective tool.
3. Which one thing has really made the difference to you
'success' in business?
My drive – when others give up, I
give more. I’ve found that I have a
real hunger and passion to do more and it stems from my desire to make a difference therefore when the going gets tough, I get going.
Arpana Valji is Founder and CEO of The Digital Marketing Consultancy, a
global marketing agency that optimizes your business presence online.
1. Which is the one thing you
wish you had known when you were just starting out in business?
I
wish I had known that you don’t have to learn EVERYTHING when starting a
business. Initially – you feel you have to learn it all but in reality – there
are ways you can upskill easily or even get the right people in to do it, at a
reasonable cost.
2. Which female skill, trait
or value have you found that can really add value to a business?
The biggest skill I have found to add real value to a business is the ability
for women to relate to others and build relationships. For the most part –
females like meeting new people and making friends. It’s this ability to create
relationships that I have leveraged to get out there and meet new people and
generate opportunities that weren’t there before. It really is about who you
know, not all about what you know!
3.Which one thing has really
made the difference to your success in business?
My ambition and hunger to succeed. I rarely take no for an
answer and will always do my best to find a solution to a problem. In this day
and age of the amount of people you potentially have access to and technology –
it’s a mix that allows almost any issue to be overcome. If you don’t know the
answer – someone else will, you just have to be tenacious enough to go out
there and get it.
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