Different ways to network - safety should be paramount for women, especially in unfamiliar places
There are many different ways to network – but wanting to give, wanting to get involved in other people’s issues, is more important than anything else. I have a list of interesting articles archived from various publications like The Economist. Whenever I want to connect with someone – I send them an email with an interesting article. When you are in a foreign country – you have to look up places, and events, and groups of people with common interests and join them. Use your hobbies for networking – for example - if golfing is your hobby, visit a golf course. For women, safety first is a primary rule for networking in unfamiliar places. Go out for events only if you are sure the place is safe.
How networking helps
I will narrate a story. My family was looking at establishing a joint venture with an East Asian firm for fabrication. Now, this firm saw our facilities, they were happy and impressed, but not blown away. Then my father expressed his concern that he was worried – he wanted to make the business big enough so that both his children (me and my brother) could be occupied by it. This struck a chord with the East Asian businessman who had exactly the same problem with his children. They gave us business. Thus, opening yourself up emotionally definitely helps in a lot of cases.
Q&A
What was your dream, and how has working here helped achieve your dream?
I have always been keen on running something. I used to be a self-declared leader in school - I enjoyed controlling, doing administrative work, making things happen. After going to grad. school, I realized wanted to do something of my own The easiest option was to join a trade business in our family. We then embarked on a platform to manufacture. That was when the work became my passion. When you see something being made, created, and see a tangible output, it produces a great sense of joy and satisfaction.
How did you gain relevant experience before working in this leadership role as an executive director at MPIL Industries?
I used to intern and work full-time at MPIL Industries before taking this top-management role. Nothing that I ever did in my internship prepared me for this role. There is no way to prepare for such roles using an internship. I would say that a liberal arts education taught me how to think - how to bid for tenders, how to manage people etc.
Your work has been in manufacturing, and building factories - generally these are male-dominated areas. Did you have to deal with labour issues or any other problems?
Building factories was easy - its part of what we basically do. About labour issues - I never went to to deal directly with labour issues - like people wanting a wage hike, or a shift change etc. I was really lucky to always have either my father or my brother handling labour issues. This is an area where I don't think my intervention would have helped in any way, so I've always stayed out. If I were running this company without their involvement (father and brother), then I would hire someone to do this for me.
When I first visited a factory, there was a bit of awkwardness - the people there were uncomfortable talking to woman. However, my being there repeatedly helped break down barriers. During factory tours, people opened up and began speaking up. Therefore, frequent visits to the factory helps establish trust and credibility with the workers.
(This is a Promoted Feature Story)
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