Women in men orientated businesses.

A few weeks ago, during Men Market New York, I went out for dinner with my German friend Vivi and a group of other very cool and open-minded women.

I met Vivi in Montevideo in 2010 when she crashed my birthday party – long story short after a few drinks she asked me if a Spanish girl from Vigo, who was also working in Uruguay, can come over as well. At the end of the night all three of us became close friends until today.

Now, we see each other about twice a year and catch up on her powerful role in the luxury automotive industry and my entrepreneurial adventure with a man's brand from Uruguay in the U.S market.

Many interesting topics, mostly related to our professional life, came up during that night's conversations but there was one particular fact in common: we were all working in men orientated businesses.

Some interesting insights:

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Marina Eberz - linkedIn

Supply & Key Account Manager for Lufthansa Technik

 

Lufthansa is leading provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul and modification services for civil aircraft, providing this service to other airlines. When it comes to playing in the big leagues we usually hear it is twice as difficult for women get into higher positions. But this is clearly not the case.

During the typical conversation on how demanding these kind of jobs can be, the question if it is more challenging to grow professionally being a woman came up in the midst of when you are also requested and it's usually part of the deal to move from a city, country, or even continent to another.

Her reaction was “I am not even conscious of the difference between a man and a woman at the job...what kind of question is that?”

A good example of a company that looks after equal opportunities and a woman who doesn't feel uneven competition.

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Valery von Waldow - linkedIn

Senior Marketing Manager Alpecin USA Inc.

 Put yourself first.

Someone once told me that when you take a stand and are willing to risk it all for what you really want, only then is when you get it.

The toast was for E2 visa, and the 2 years contract which meant career growth but also enabled her to continue living in New York...the city she wanted to continue living in.

After 10 months in the new position she was asked if she wants to move from New York to Manchester - England, as the situation had changed and they might not be able to keep her in the US-company otherwise.

Working that hard to get where you are and risk having to go back to the start is for sure a tough decision…and decision making is an art when coming to those which consequences might last for years.

Your life choices aren't just about what you want to do; they're about who you want to be – And to be someone who is able to set priorities and balance your personal goals in life with career opportunities seems like the kind of someone we would want to be.

Cheers to Valery's courage and Alpecin, a company that values women with guts.

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Vivien von Sethe - linkedIn

Retail Marketing Manager, Northeast USA & Canada Automobili Lamborghini.

 People orientated.

Being intelligent, smart, and extremely good at what you do is important; but being empathetic is what makes a person a leader. True empathy is the ability to listen to people, read people, and what allows us to respond appropriately to the situation. 

It is a fact that people respond best to an empathetic boss, partner, colleague; they feel more motivated working for/with them – and this is what Vivi brings to the table in her position and what makes it possible for the company to successfully achieve the sometimes impossible. To stay grounded despite fierce competition is a hard thing, however, from efficient crisis management to positively empowering the younger talents she always manages to take it a step further.

Recognizing and hiring the right kind of personalities and backgrounds has a huge effect on how a company operates culturally - Good for Lamborghini after 56 years empathy is still among its core values.

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And…

A wise man words to keep in mind while building your career in your early 30's. 

We were inside the taxi, going from a restaurant to a bar - and as the conversation turned a little deeper Jannis said:

 Your job is your relationship at this moment. Nothing fulfills you more. But it won't last forever.

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Jannis Kaiser - linkedIn

Senior Integrated Marketing Manager for Hugo Boss

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Funny fact:

The waiter at Malaparte was Uruguayan…after lots of speculation and debate between Spanish and Italian someone finally asked…what were the odds for him to be one of the 3 million Uruguayans!

Plus, he was so good looking that everybody was very much willing to move to Uruguay if every man looked like that.

Cheers!

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