Executive women reveal secrets of their success<\/p>\n
By Mehru Jaffer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): They might call themselves FEW, but the roles
\nthat they play are many. And the choices before them number even
\nmore, with to play golf or not to play golf being the least
\ntroublesome of them all.<\/p>\n
Most agree that what pays in the end, whether one is man or
\nwoman or at home or at the work place, is to be able to identify
\na problem, find the most effective way of resolving it and then
\ngo ahead and work on it.<\/p>\n
And this is exactly what members and guests of FEW (Forum for
\nExecutive Women) did here the other night. They refused to let
\ntheir disappointment get the better of them. Most of them had
\nhappily sacrificed a few hours after a day's work in office in
\nthe hope of listening to Rini Soewandi talk at this month's panel
\non \"Women in Business\", only to discover on arrival that the
\nformer chief of Astra was not going to be there to share with
\nthem her experiences in her last job.<\/p>\n
\"I was curious to see Rini in person, to find out what lessons
\nshe had learnt from the drama at Astra. Maybe I could have picked
\nup a tip or two from Rini's story ... ,\" regretted one of the
\naudience, who prefers to rush home after the office each day to
\nbe with her children before their bedtime.<\/p>\n
But not for long. Most members of FEW are an amazing blend of
\nmother, wife and CEO, and as soon as the three other speakers
\ntook the microphone to talk about how they had survived, and kept
\ntheir top positions in their respective companies, all thoughts
\nof Rini seemed to evaporate and every ear in the jam-packed room
\nwere lent instead to the stories unfolding before them.<\/p>\n
As if a husband and a job as the country director of Mission
\nEnergy Company in Indonesia were not enough, Carol Hessler
\nadopted an Indonesian child recently. And she may adopt another
\none in the future.<\/p>\n
\"I am boss!\" Carol replied when asked how she copes with so
\nmuch in her life, including all the reading she is able to do.
\nVery often she is in bed at 8.30 pm, she said. Besides she saves
\na lot of time by not playing golf! She said she hated the stupid
\nsport.<\/p>\n
Since she has no one watching over her, she does sneak home
\nfor a while during the day to be with her child and she keeps a
\ncomplete office at home as well. What is important for her is to
\nbe able to arrange her successful career in a way that still
\nenables her to remain close to her family.<\/p>\n
Renee Zecha, founder and president of PT Widari Sarancipta, a
\nboutique investment bank providing financial advice and
\ntransaction execution services to national and international
\nclients, agreed that it was up to individuals to arrange for
\nthemselves how they combined their personal lives with their
\ncareers.<\/p>\n
She does not have children, but she still has to plan how to
\nkeep connected with her husband who travels a lot. And if she
\nneglects her family, she just does not get to see any one of
\nthem, be it her husband or other immediate relatives.<\/p>\n
At meetings where men are mostly in the majority, she decides
\non the spot whether to do battle or to get her point of view
\nacross in a diplomatic way. She has no problems with repeating
\nthe deferential Javanese phrase, \"A 1000 apologies for opening my
\nmouth ... ,\" before a presentation if it means disarming her
\nIndonesian male audience.<\/p>\n
Hariet Richards, president director of PT BHP Indonesia, finds
\nit extremely exhausting to enter meetings dominated mostly by men
\nas if she was at war. At one meeting with 30 other men she
\nconsoled herself with the thought that as the only woman there,
\nat least she would not have to queue up at the toilet. Hariet
\nfeels that to make a difference, to retain credibility and to
\nwant to change things one has to put up a fight.<\/p>\n
Carol agreed that it was not very pleasant to repeatedly walk
\ninto rooms where nobody else present looked like yourself.
\nHowever, she did also confess that the worst boss she ever had
\nwas a woman who looked upon every other female professional
\nyounger than her as a threat.<\/p>\n
As the number one woman in her company now, she hopes that her
\nrole is that of a mentor to her women subordinates.<\/p>\n
FEW was started in May 1996 with about 80 professional women
\nfor the purpose of exchanging information, networking and
\nsocializing. Today there are nearly 300 Indonesian and expatriate
\nwomen members. While there are old boy's networks aplenty,
\nprofessional women in Jakarta find it difficult to expand
\nbusiness outside of the office. For all those women who do not
\nhave faith in networking at the golf course, FEW suggests that
\nthey try to do so at a spa.<\/p>\n
However Renee has already succumbed to golf. Not because she
\nhopes to improve business connections but mainly to be able to
\nget some fresh air for a couple of hours in a terribly polluted
\ncity like Jakarta. While on the job she does not keep reminding
\nherself that she is a woman and neither does she underestimate
\nthe compliments she may get for having done a job well from her
\nmale colleagues.<\/p>\n
All the women present agreed that a certain fighting spirit
\nwas needed in successful men and women if they wanted to be
\nnumber one or become leaders in any field. Hariet hoped she was
\nnot seen by her women subordinates like Carol's earlier boss. She
\nlooks upon herself as a very fair person who is very tough on all
\nher subordinates.<\/p>\n
While working in Indonesia she has found people to be most
\naccessible as far as giving their time and information is
\nconcerned, although at times communication between men and women
\nseems to lead no where. She never goes chasing contacts on the
\ngolf course. Hariet still prefers to talk things over, face to
\nface with colleagues, over a cup of coffee perhaps.<\/p>",
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