Empowering women to be placed on the board of directors of the country’s top performing companies and into senior leadership positions requires them to gain experience through mentorship.
While young women can offer their older counterparts teachings such as technology education, training and implementation, more experienced mentors can offer advice such as when to listen, and when to speak up, or on important deliverables for senior leadership and board roles. To transition on a larger scale into senior and executive roles, women must be guided and supported through mentorship by their leaders.
Use your platform to lift others
“It takes hard work,” says Keletso Mpisane, Head of Blink by MiWay. “Nothing is handed to you, but when you put in the work and get to a space where you have a platform to inspire others, that feeling is euphoric,” continues Mpisane.
Using your platform to provide other women with opportunity is great, whether you hire them, provide them with mentorship, or simply share insights is truly rewarding.
By using your platform to lift other women, you equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary to make their way in the world. South Africa also faces unprecedented levels of unemployment, especially amongst the youth and women – approximately 36 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.
In the tourism industry, more than 70 per cent of employees are women, and many more are young people, particularly in entry level positions.
“With a vast range of skills required within the broader tourism sector, there is a great opportunity for youth and especially young women to forge careers in the industry. Career openings exist across a number of disciplines from accommodation, transportation, guiding, and many other diverse activity-based products and services.” says Genevie Langner, Reservations Manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront.
Women need to work even harder to make it into higher levels of management. They only represent 40% of managerial positions within the sector, therefore those now employed in tourism can be trailblazers for others, by working to elevate others to achieve broader representation.
Empowering women in digital skills
The greatest challenge to advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in the technology industry, is addressing women’s under-representation in emerging roles, such as AI as well as in cloud computing, engineering and data, according to Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Programme Manager at Salesforce.
Across all sectors, systems need to become more equitable. To open up the technology industry specifically, the role of business to address the issue of equity should begin with education and encouraging more women to enter STEM fields. This will push up under-representation in roles such as cloud computing, engineering and AI.
“Addressing this challenge starts long before a woman enters the workforce. We need to work together – as education institutes, as business, as caregivers – to help cultivate an interest in ICT by exposing them to all the possibilities ICT holds,” says Fear.
For professionals with aspirations to move from management to CEO positions in the tech industry, strategic thinking and continuous learning are crucial. Building long term relationships with experienced wise council, seeking mentorship and refining leadership abilities can greatly influence one’s career trajectory.
CEO of SweepSouth, Lourandi Kriel stresses the significance of having vision, adaptability and ability to learn new things fast. According to Kriel, “The tech landscape is constantly changing. Embrace change, remain curious, never stop learning. Leading with impactful strategies and innovation will distinguish you and propel you towards becoming a CEO.’’
Surround yourself with inspiration
Have conversations. By talking to other women and hearing their stories, you can find the inspiration and community to keep writing your story. “I often work with other women in underprivileged communities,” says Dalit Shekel, CEO of Relate Bracelets. “Inspiration comes from all corners of the world, and is often mislooked in these communities,” continues Shekel.
Ikamva Labantu, a NPO organisation that supports elders in vulnerable communities, is a great organisation to draw inspiration from. The elder women in this organisation create bracelets for Relate, another NPO organisation that thrives on supporting those in need. “My work is what drives me. By talking to women I meet in my work with Relate, I am inspired to make a difference and use my platform to inspire others,” continues Shekel.
Vaishnavi Soundar, Regional Manager – Marketing, Zoho MEA, believes that ‘’mentorship is crucial for fostering effective leadership at all levels. It has particularly played a pivotal role in my professional journey, providing me with invaluable guidance and support. Forming a mentor circle, for instance, wherein a female leader guides a set of women in the workplace, can create a trusted support network.’’
Many women face the dilemma of leaving their careers midway due to care-giving responsibilities, and the lack of support makes it harder to return. While the uptick of workplace trends like remote work options today enable more women to take up jobs, there’s still a need for career relaunch programs. Women who want to resume their careers after a break can benefit from training programs by companies that involve both mentoring and upskilling.
“From my own experience, having rejoined the workforce at Zoho after a six-year career break, I can attest to how such programmes can offer crucial support and facilitate professional growth.”
You don’t need to have it all figured out
As time keeps ticking on, we often find ourselves feeling stressed and rushed to figure things out, get that job, have a family, and achieve goals we set for ourselves. This can lead to even more stress, and instead, we should look at where we are and appreciate the moment. Everything leads to something.
“Growing up, I was resistant to the idea of becoming a lawyer and even began studying other things. Once I got into law, I was surprised to find myself becoming increasingly interested in it with every passing year,” says Yushanta Rungasammy, Director and Co-Head of Corporate and Commercial at CMS South Africa.
“My advice for any young woman trying to establish herself would be to be confident in herself and her abilities. She must not underestimate her value and contribution,” continues Rungasammy. Confidence in yourself and your abilities will help pave the way for success.