Executive women reveal secrets of their success

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): They might call themselves FEW, but the roles that they play are many. And the choices before them number even more, with to play golf or not to play golf being the least troublesome of them all.

Most agree that what pays in the end, whether one is man or woman or at home or at the work place, is to be able to identify a problem, find the most effective way of resolving it and then go ahead and work on it.

And this is exactly what members and guests of FEW (Forum for Executive Women) did here the other night. They refused to let their disappointment get the better of them. Most of them had happily sacrificed a few hours after a day's work in office in the hope of listening to Rini Soewandi talk at this month's panel on "Women in Business", only to discover on arrival that the former chief of Astra was not going to be there to share with them her experiences in her last job.

"I was curious to see Rini in person, to find out what lessons she had learnt from the drama at Astra. Maybe I could have picked up a tip or two from Rini's story ... ," regretted one of the audience, who prefers to rush home after the office each day to be with her children before their bedtime.

But not for long. Most members of FEW are an amazing blend of mother, wife and CEO, and as soon as the three other speakers took the microphone to talk about how they had survived, and kept their top positions in their respective companies, all thoughts of Rini seemed to evaporate and every ear in the jam-packed room were lent instead to the stories unfolding before them.

As if a husband and a job as the country director of Mission Energy Company in Indonesia were not enough, Carol Hessler adopted an Indonesian child recently. And she may adopt another one in the future.

"I am boss!" Carol replied when asked how she copes with so much in her life, including all the reading she is able to do. Very often she is in bed at 8.30 pm, she said. Besides she saves a lot of time by not playing golf! She said she hated the stupid sport.

Since she has no one watching over her, she does sneak home for a while during the day to be with her child and she keeps a complete office at home as well. What is important for her is to be able to arrange her successful career in a way that still enables her to remain close to her family.

Renee Zecha, founder and president of PT Widari Sarancipta, a boutique investment bank providing financial advice and transaction execution services to national and international clients, agreed that it was up to individuals to arrange for themselves how they combined their personal lives with their careers.

She does not have children, but she still has to plan how to keep connected with her husband who travels a lot. And if she neglects her family, she just does not get to see any one of them, be it her husband or other immediate relatives.

At meetings where men are mostly in the majority, she decides on the spot whether to do battle or to get her point of view across in a diplomatic way. She has no problems with repeating the deferential Javanese phrase, "A 1000 apologies for opening my mouth ... ," before a presentation if it means disarming her Indonesian male audience.

Hariet Richards, president director of PT BHP Indonesia, finds it extremely exhausting to enter meetings dominated mostly by men as if she was at war. At one meeting with 30 other men she consoled herself with the thought that as the only woman there, at least she would not have to queue up at the toilet. Hariet feels that to make a difference, to retain credibility and to want to change things one has to put up a fight.

Carol agreed that it was not very pleasant to repeatedly walk into rooms where nobody else present looked like yourself. However, she did also confess that the worst boss she ever had was a woman who looked upon every other female professional younger than her as a threat.

As the number one woman in her company now, she hopes that her role is that of a mentor to her women subordinates.

FEW was started in May 1996 with about 80 professional women for the purpose of exchanging information, networking and socializing. Today there are nearly 300 Indonesian and expatriate women members. While there are old boy's networks aplenty, professional women in Jakarta find it difficult to expand business outside of the office. For all those women who do not have faith in networking at the golf course, FEW suggests that they try to do so at a spa.

However Renee has already succumbed to golf. Not because she hopes to improve business connections but mainly to be able to get some fresh air for a couple of hours in a terribly polluted city like Jakarta. While on the job she does not keep reminding herself that she is a woman and neither does she underestimate the compliments she may get for having done a job well from her male colleagues.

All the women present agreed that a certain fighting spirit was needed in successful men and women if they wanted to be number one or become leaders in any field. Hariet hoped she was not seen by her women subordinates like Carol's earlier boss. She looks upon herself as a very fair person who is very tough on all her subordinates.

While working in Indonesia she has found people to be most accessible as far as giving their time and information is concerned, although at times communication between men and women seems to lead no where. She never goes chasing contacts on the golf course. Hariet still prefers to talk things over, face to face with colleagues, over a cup of coffee perhaps.