Understanding Leadership through Gender-Lens: Insights from Global Women Leaders

Haniza Zakariya, Country Head, Orange Business Malaysia 

The Game Changers in Women's Leadership

Empathy & Listening are 2 key qualities I would say women can leverage for effective leadership. As a leader, managing a team isn’t just about giving orders and pushing people to deliver. At the end of the day, we have our own challenges and while the team will give their 100% at work, there are times when we will still fall short. It is important to empathize and understand what went wrong and how we can help them grow and develop. And while I think Empathy may be easier to demonstrate as we a natural caregiver, mastering the art of listening can be a game changer for an effective women leadership.

The Power of Strategic Communication

Here’s a customer story that’s not so much of an anecdote but a key experience to take away. There was this large-value contract that we encountered a delay in closing it off, due to a legal tussle between us and the customer over some disagreement on the unlimited liabilities clause.  It came to a point where customer was so furious that they asked for our top management’s interference and was on the verge of cancelling the mega deal award. This happened to be the biggest contract ever won from the public sector segment that year.

After understanding more about the precarious situation with my sales team, I narrated it to all of the stakeholders involved in the discussion to hopefully ease the tension and dispute with the customer. It required an out-of-the-box initiative from our end when I drove to the customer’s office early in the morning along with the account manager and met him there with some coffees in hand. I recalled saying to him: “I just came here to have breakfast with you, and if you would like to talk about anything else, I have the whole day to spare”. By leveraging our softer charm and staying focused to listen to the customer’s point of view, we resolved the issue at hand in less than a week.

Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders

My advice to aspiring women leaders is to be bold and to have the courage to break traditional barriers which have mostly been hindered by societal assumptions and stereotyping. Speak up for yourself and share your opinions and views. Remember that you have what it takes to make your voice heard, and the right to be heard. Successful leaders do not ask for permission; they just continue to stay focused and to pursue their dreams.