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Women, MBAs and Senior Management
QS speaks to Erin Biertzer, UK Retail Banking Director at Barclays on the growing number of women leveraging the MBA as a means of accessing senior management
1) What are the challenges of being a woman in a senior management position?
Challenges are opportunities for everyone. Senior management is fast paced and constantly changing, and a thriving environment for women who can collaborate, make decisions, remain calm under pressure, and lead others. As a woman in senior management some lessons on typical challenges: Deal with facts not emotions – it’s business not personal. Communicate and promote successes, be prepared to make tough decisions, and find a role model to build a support network.
2) How did your MBA prepare you for your career in senior management?
An MBA helps women build confidence, communication, and collaboration skills that are vital to progress to senior management. My MBA has taught me the importance of leadership for a winning business, the value of networking and broadening your knowledge and experiences outside your company, and the confidence to take risks in business decisions.
3) Have you experienced a change in perception within the workforce surrounding women in senior management positions?
Personally yes, for the positive. Having an engineering degree I’ve always worked in historically male-dominated fields, and my transition to retail banking stood out as an area where the glass ceiling had been broken. I had exposure to a balanced executive team with multiple top women in the industry in key positions, and the power that comes to a company who value the dynamics that come with that. Clearly there is still a long way to go globally, as the low numbers of women in executive roles speaks for itself.
4) How do you maintain a balance between your senior management position and ensuring a work/life balance?
Finding that balance is critical and it is possible to do and still be successful. I’m fortunate to have a husband who is very supportive of my career and willing to take on more responsibility as long hours are required. I also have a strong support network at work, as well as great role models, mentors and friends to maintain balance and outside interests. It helps to plan your goals and calendar time into your day for your personal life.
5) How do women with MBAs ensure senior management positions are attainable?
Look at the senior management team of the company you are interested in and that tells a lot! Seek out companies with balance at the top and strong performance management programs and where women and men are on a fair playing field when performance and promotions are decided based on clear, quantifiable goals. Also look for companies like Barclays that value and encourage recruitment of MBAs. These types of rotational programmes provide an amazing base of experience to build out a strong and long career.
And finally…
Bring your passion and enthusiasm to work every day, and love what you do and who you are working for or find a better fit!
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