Winning In Heels – Breaking The Glass Ceiling

As we celebrated International Women’s Day in March, it is clear that women’s opportunities in the workplace remains a subject of interest at the local, regional and international levels. Although we have women in the workforce today, the fact remains that there are more men than women in corporate leadership positions.

However, the ‘glass ceiling’ is not the reason why women are not climbing the corporate ladder. Many successful women before our time experienced their fair share of the ‘glass ceiling’, which did not deter their path to success.

FIVE C’s OF CONCERNS

In my many years working with women, I noticed five common traits that explains why women tend to hold back their career pursuits. Ultimately, women often become their own worst enemies when these concerns circle round in their heads.

1. Comfort – Chasing that next promotion could disrupt the comforts of working from 9 to 5, which allows women to be a wife and mother, get home in time to cook, wash and help the kids with schoolwork before putting them to bed. Why change what isn’t broken?

2. Confidence – The lack of confidence, coupled with the fear of the unknown, creates an internal struggle which prevents women from exploring available opportunities.

3. Commitment – Investing in one’s personal career development is a commitment which requires time away from the family.

4. Consequence – When it comes to pursuing a new venture, there are consequences which could negatively affect relationships and expectations at home, especially when a positive outcome is not guaranteed.

5. Contemplate – Women tend to contemplate too much, which leads to unhealthy procrastination.

STEP IN BEFORE STEPPING UP

To break the ‘glass ceiling’ and increase presence on the world stage, women need to acknowledge that they must be willing to STEP IN before they can STEP UP. They have to recognize that their beautiful voices need to be heard. Women can only have a presence by speaking up.

Regardless of gender, organizations are always looking for capable people. In Singapore, we encourage women to STEP IN so that they can be seen and heard. This will eventually help them STEP UP to a higher position. How else could we achieve having 15% of CEO positions held by women? This number needs to grow.

If a woman presents herself well, displays self-confidence, a positive attitude and offers a wealth of knowledge, trust me, organizations will be more than happy to have you join the team, even if you occasionally have to run off to see to your family’s needs.

WIN IN HEELS

When I was managing regional key accounts in a male-dominated industry, I often dressed in suits and man-style shoes to look like them. It did not take me long to realize that men were less intimidated when I dressed like a real woman, especially in heels. Since then, I made the point to look absolutely ladylike in dresses and high heels, even when I visited construction sites quite often.

As such, I was often asked how women could work full time, dress well and still run a household.

Well, you must remember that your family is your team. Every family member needs to play a part in making the home successful, happy and beautiful. If I can be a single mother who raised two children and completed six years of night school while holding a full time job, I am confident that more women can indeed WIN IN HEELS.

Today, I can confidently say that winning in heels requires a very focused mindset on what matters to me and my family most – health, hard work, heart and happiness.