pearl from the oyster? It is
bound to happen. That is the law
of nature. When all safety valves
are smothered, the outcome will be
a violent, emotional explosion. A
woman was created to bloom and
blossom, establishing her own
identity, her own colour, quality
and f ragrance. The way an
unwatered plant gets parched and
dies a premature death, so does the
personality of a woman who is
struggling to break through the
shackles of social conditioning, to
achieve recognition of being a
separate individual with a separate
ident ity. The change wi ll be
complete when society recognizes
that it cannot benef it f rom
preventing the emergence of the
pearl from the oyster".
The life of a career woman can be
very demanding, made worse by
guilt feelings of neglecting home
and family. To me, the woman who
manages home and family and is
also a successful career woman, is
nothing short of a phenomenon.
She is a superwoman. This itself
proves that she is certainly not the
weaker sex. I was married at the
age of 15 and became a mother by
the time I was 16. As a wife and
mother, I know what it takes to
start a business and to extend it the
way I have. But, what is important
is that it is possible, with sheer
hard work and faith in one's own
abilities. I am a first generation
woman entrepreneur and have
managed my own business. I have
also employed mainly women in
my organization. I can honestly say
that sound management and
business acumen are without
gender. There is no hard and fast
rule that a man is a better manager
by virtue of being male. Given the
same opportunities, a woman can
be equally successful. In fact,
having a woman manager can be
an advantage. It is not a question of
reservation of opportunities, like
the reservation of seats. Rather, it
should be a question of opting for a
woman in any position if she is
qualified to fill it. We have to
accept that she can be as effective
and successful as a man in that
position.
As managers, women do have fitting
qualities. The biological factor of the
woman being "the gatherer" makes
her good at being able to integrate
and nurture. She can be good at
dealing with people. Indeed, women
have better communication and
people skills. Modern research says
that a woman's brains may be more
efficient with regard to verbal
ability. Their social conditioning
and inherent nature can make them
good managers. They, in fact,
manage their homes, their children
and their family budgets. They
know how to adjust the family
income to the family's needs. They
juggle their different roles
efficiently. They maintain the
delicate relationships and bonds
within the family and the extended
family. Women are also good at
organizing and time management.
Where soft-core incentives are
concerned, I definitely feel that
women are better at motivating and
encouraging their juniors. They are
certainly more tolerant,
understanding, tactful, cooperative,
consistent and sincere. And they do
not have ego problems, the way men
do. In fact, they are adept at dealing
with the male ego.
To the new age woman, my advice
would be "don't to try to be a man in
a man's world." Be a woman. Men
and women are biologically
different. Recognize this and
recognize the fact that the different
strengths of men and women
actually complement each other. As
a manager, give your juniors the
general guidelines and also the
freedom to be creative and to
express their views, but within the
parameters of your expectations. Be
sure to take charge of yourself, your
health and your own stress
management. Have regular medical
check ups, learn about nutrition and
take daily exercise. There is nothing
like daily exercise for staying
youthful and active. Believe in
yourself and your own abilities.
Keep learning. Have the courage to
say "I don't know this, but I can
learn it".
