Laptop, kitchen spoon, high heels – it is impossible to stand in every role at a time. However, women’s conscious career management can succeed in creating external and internal harmony. Tips for perfectionists.
“As a student I used to sell ice cream in the summer. As long as we had three different sorts, we had plenty to do. The moment we offered thirty different ice creams, people were lining up in long queues and they could hardly choose. We can also experience such thing in the careers of women.” – begins Györgyi Kristóf, managing director of Hammel & Hochreiter Business and Management Consulting firm. Employee, senior executive, entrepreneur, external expert, family-owned company – today there are many ways of life women can choose from. It is not easy at all.
She makes jam and lifts weight
Women should start planning their professional journey in their twenties, since at the age of 30 we take what we get. Of course, it is never late to change, but the point is to do it consciously. The biggest challenge for those who have families is the fact that they must be efficient in their various roles at the same time. “My advice to these women: make or buy, decide what you do and what you ‘delegate’ or “outsource”. To do that, you naturally need a supportive or at least a collaborating partner. It is impossible to cook jam, to exercise, to bring up children, to build a career and to keep your marriage under control at the same time.” These women work a lot, instead of coordinating the tasks and making others work.
In career planning it is worth taking into consideration that you can work the most during the nursery years of your children, when there are no extra lessons and no logistic issues to be solved. During school, every odd year is difficult, the husbands reach the midlife crisis at age 39. You must be prepared for these periods too.
“Women should always plan everything parallel to what their husbands, partners and children are doing. If they are not able to have control over the family, nobody will. Should I have external or internal position? To answer this question all these factors must be considered. Our destiny is the result of our personality and self-knowledge. The good news is: both can be developed.”
Instead of making ‘langos’ (doughnut)
It is important to choose the right work pace and the right workplace which fits with the actual life situation.
When a child is small it is possible for women to stay in business and work from home. As a leader, interim management services may be used, but interim manager position can also be a good alternative when our preference is to become an external expert. The point is to be aware of the opportunities.
The Compass program, developed by Hammel & Hochreiter, is designed to help women shortening the process of life path planning.
“Although the task of life path planning can not be avoided, our program consisting of personal consultations and online tests is a major help. During the process, professional and personal profile as well as competences are revealed, and we are also able to analyse the relevant market demands.” – emphasizes the expert. The latter is very important: It is a common mistake that someone has a great idea, but there is no demand for that service or product on the market. Personal fulfillment for many is like air, very important indeed, but at the end of the day, both revenue and profit count. On average, without help, it will last a year and a half until someone finds the company culture, the industry, the position meeting their quality and expectations, and – something that is high importance for women and mothers – the right location to work.
With the support of Hammel & Hochreiter’s tailor-made program, it is possible to determine in a relatively short period of time whether external or internal positions can be more suited to the given life situation. “We shorten the analytical phase, then we ‘wrap it up’, in other words we rebrand our client.”
Compass gives us the direction, but please remember, changing is not always the best solution!
“When the candidate tells me that he wants to get out of work while he has a great job, I’ll ask: why he does not take a vacation or a break? We usually want success right away, we do not plan on the long run, or we do not have enough sophistication. Like the person who makes ‘langos’ doughnuts at Lake Balaton and wants to become rich in one single season. But one solution is always there, in other words, there is always a parking space! To get that we often need a tiny little help. Of course, we do much more than that”.
Györgyi Kristóf
Györgyi Kristóf is an interim expert and executive strategic advisor. While she was in the process of her own life path planning she realised: She must figure out by herself what is the best for her to do while looking for the industry and company culture which best suits her. At that time, she discovered her outstanding sales affiliation, but she also faced a conflict: If she wanted to be wife and a mother and even a manager at the same time, she would have to switch. The biggest challenge was to find the service, she would sell. At that time, she was certain that selling services would be the direction. She became a conscious life path planner: She wanted to become a recognized solution provider. After several projects, it became clear that neither the counsellor, the trainer nor the coach job was suitable for her. It was a milestone in her career path. At this time, she became confident that she would need to specialize in understanding the customer’s needs and then deliver the most appropriate specialist.
In Hungary, she also introduced the solutions developed by the Dutch pioneers of interim management. As one of the leading managers of Hammel & Hochreiter, Hungary’s most active interim management service provider, she uses her professional competencies, co-ordination and management skills acquired and discovered during her career.
How can Hammel & Hochreiter Academy help?
Hammel & Hochreiter Academy, COMPASS is a manager orientation and accreditation programme specifically developed to support the career and life path planning of experienced managers. The basis of the uniqueness of our programme is that our module-based consultancy services focus on strengths and how to make the most of them, as they are needed the most to be successful. In the life path planning process, it is also worth thinking of the future, whether to work in a specific corporate structure or as an external expert.
The COMPASS program also offers business leaders the opportunity to provide their employees with a conscious, planned, expert assistance to further develop their career or to move to a new phase. Moreover, the COMPASS programme can be a tool for HR managers, company directors and owners when certain positions and tasks are terminated or in case of planned and unplanned dismissals to ensure worthy, caring, and customised support.
Origin: Forbes.hu
