Gone are the days when women are only confined inside their houses rocking the cradle, crying a river watching telenovelas, and spending hours in salons to beseech their husbands’ attention. Times are changing as more and more women make waves in the corporate world.
This trend has been evident globally and even locally as workplace dynamics change and old mentalities fade away.
In the Philippines, for example, companies entrust women with significant leadership roles. They come neck and neck with men in the corporate ladder. In Asia Pacific, the country is in fact hitting high spot with the highest number of senior leadership roles held by women.
A global survey by Grant Thornton showed that 39 percent of businesses in the Philippines have women on their board, ahead of Thailand and Indonesia’s 37 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
However, some Filipino women still choose to stay inside their cocoon, not knowing that leaving their comfort zones would enable them to transfer pollen of graces and ideas from entities to entities.
Women absolutely differ from men in how they handle emotions. But Sherisa Nuesa proves that emotional sensitivities can be turned by women into a great advantage in the corporate world.
Nuesa is now one of the top independent company directors in the country. She currently seats as a board director and a trustee at various institutions, including the Manila Water Company, ALFM Mutual Funds Group, Far Eastern University, and FERN Realty Corporation.
Credit: Manila Water
With her decades of experience in real estate, water infrastructure, electronics, and conglomerate, Nuesa is in the right position to tell tales of what it takes to be a leader.
For her, success begins with the establishment of a strong CV which means character and values, not curriculum vitae.
She said, “Women have to stand for something. Values provide value,” adding that, “There is no magic for any of you who wants to get to the corporate world.”
Nuesa shared The Filipino Times how women can streamline their dreams and conquer the corporate world:
1 Broaden your horizon
“You have to take on new challenges,” Nuesa said in her speech at a conference titled “High Time: The Case for Gender Diversity in Corporate Boards”. She added that, “We have to be outstanding. You have to know strategy in governance, marketing, and finance. It takes a lot more than the usual leadership and management skills.”
She said that being on top requires non-stop learning from constituents, colleagues, and experiences.
“Whatever you have now, keep it going. [The knowledge] you have acquired stays with you whether you’ll be a CEO or not.”
2 Break barriers
While the times are changing for women, some companies are undeniably still behind shadows of biases.
“It is not just the gentlemen. We, ladies, also see biases. You have to accept that it will take time, [but] don’t let bias hold you back,” Nuesa said.
Regardless of gender, she reminded that an aspiring leader needs to learn a lot to respond to critiques and demands.
“I walked into the board of Ayala and a lot of them are Ivy League [alumni], but I had this attitude that if they are so good that they only need an hour to learn something, then I will allot two or three hours to learn the same thing.”
3 Be loud and proud
To be a successful leader does not mean a woman should forget her identity as a woman. Women, she said, should embrace and deal with their emotions.
“Women are meant to have hearts because they are mothers. Guys actually show their emotions as well. They don’t cry but they kick their chairs, close the doors in a very loud way. They shout. Pareho lang yan,” Nuesa said.
She advised women to fine tune communication skills as it is a prerequisite to becoming an efficient leader.
“A value that is not being communicated is irrelevant. How do they know that you are qualified unless you speak up? Volunteer,” she said.
4 Know yourself
Know what’s lacking in you and how you can fill your imperfections with strength, precision and fearlessness.
Nuesa told the attendees of the event that women must not only create their reputation. Ultimately, she said, they must be able to protect it.
“You have to choose what you want to do. In the end, whatever you choose, just be proud of yourself.”
