Blog #7: More self-confidence can't hurt women

By Natascha de Raad
reading time: 5 Minutes

Die Zeit rast. Mit diesem mittlerweile siebten Blogbeitrag und damit dem letzten in diesem Jahr – möchte ich das Thema „Frauenförderung“ aufgreifen. Ich will es allerdings nicht als Aufzählung aller Maßnahmen zur speziellen Unterstützung von Frauen hier bei Med-X-Press verstanden wissen. Aus einem einfachen Grund: Bei uns werden alle MitarbeitTime is racing. In what is now my seventh blog post - and the last this year - I would like to take up the topic of "promoting women". However, I don't want it to be understood as a list of all the measures for the special support of women here at Med-X-Press. For one simple reason: all our employees - men and women - are treated equally as a matter of principle. This point is important to me. Because only equality gives women the basis for self-development. 
I would therefore like to go deeper: My concern is to encourage women to seize their opportunities on the job market - especially in the face of the opportunities presented by equal opportunities - more courageously than perhaps they have done so far. In other words: more self-confidence can't hurt women. 
Regardless of whether a woman decides to pursue a career in top management or would prefer to work part-time (e.g. because of the children) as a clerk for the time being, I firmly believe that a successful and fulfilling working life is possible at any level. The individual goals and circumstances of each woman are always decisive.

I would like to use three considerations to illustrate what I believe is important for professional self-realization: renouncing the quota as a career springboard, choosing the right employer (who enables equal opportunities!) and - particularly important - a self-confident, confident attitude.  

I expressly want this blog to be understood as a very personal, subjective guide. I am therefore arguing here primarily on the basis of my previous experiences over the past decades. I make no claim to general validity. If one or two readers feel inspired and encouraged by my words, then I have achieved my goal.

1: Women, please forget the quota! 
 

"Women's quota" or "quota regulation"? Not with me. When I hear these words, I switch off. I think the efforts to use quotas to get women into management positions are fundamentally wrong because they are completely unnecessary. In my opinion, the opportunities for women in companies today are better than ever before in history. Women - like men - should always be defined by their performance. A quota is therefore first and foremost discriminatory towards all male applicants who may not get the chance because of a woman - despite obviously having better qualifications. 
So please don't start with the quota! Provocatively asked: Who would like to be considered a quota woman? The label "She got into her position via the quota" automatically devalues every woman. Personally, I have always done well with this attitude.

From my own observations, I know that both men and women have the same opportunities for advancement - provided that women make a conscious and wholehearted decision to pursue a career with management responsibility. In my view, however, many of them are still less committed than their male counterparts. Women who openly communicate their ambitions, on the other hand, are met with open doors in most companies. Today, no company can afford to ignore the talent, knowledge and commitment of motivated female applicants or employees. In order to retain them and promote the compatibility of family and career, they are happy to build golden bridges for them: Company kindergartens, part-time working arrangements, flexible working hours or generous arrangements for mobile working are now a matter of course. Today, every woman can take advantage of these opportunities and share the otherwise domestic family tasks with her partner. So where is the problem?

Women should recognize their professional status - and take advantage of it. Women have had the best opportunities on the labor market for many years. The generally lamented lack of specialists and managers in the economy offers them excellent conditions for a career. Added to this are the so-called soft "leadership skills" attributed to them, which make them valuable employees for modern companies. In many areas, women are considered to be more socially competent, cooperative and team-oriented than men - all characteristics of modern leadership that no progressive company can ignore. There is now general consensus on this point across a broad front - especially in the HR departments of large and medium-sized companies. Here, the focus is on "mixed teams" in which the characteristics of men (they are considered more risk-taking, for example) and women should complement each other. So the bottom line is: it won't work without women. My appeal: please don't hide your light under a bushel - no matter what position you are applying for!

2: Women, please choose the right employer! 
 

My career at Med-X-Press is the best example to illustrate how important the choice of employer is. Before I started here on August 1, 2015, I put my future employer through its paces. I did a lot of research and had the management explain the structures and internal processes to me. What I heard and saw convinced me. Even then, there were already an above-average number of women working at the company, which reinforced my positive opinion. I also liked the fact that the management was committed to women's issues - for example, actively supporting the Family and Business Competence Center in the district of Goslar. The association is currently campaigning for extended vacation care for children between the ages of six and twelve. This - I'll call it a "women-friendly" attitude - is also reflected in our company itself. Women now make up two thirds (64 percent) of the total workforce of around 300 employees at Med-X-Press. Of these, twelve women hold management positions with personnel responsibility. You can also find these figures in our sustainability report here (read more about Med-X-Press's sustainability report here).

All in all, it quickly became clear to me that Med-X-Press shares my values and ideas as an employer. Here, everyone - regardless of their gender - can develop professionally according to their abilities and ambitions. I also liked the fact that the many mothers in our company were not left out in the cold when it came to childcare: As there were only a few daycare places with flexible childcare hours in the region at the time, Med-X-Press had launched the "Bassgeigenflöhe" large-scale daycare center for children in the fall of 2013 together with a few other companies in the business park. To this day, we enable many mothers to enter into an employment relationship at all. I have adopted this "spirit". Many of my employees prefer a half-time position, which is absolutely understandable when you have several children.

3: Women, please have more confidence - and make the most of your opportunities! 
 

Women often find it more difficult than men to get involved in new things. They don't trust themselves enough or are afraid of failing at previously unknown tasks. Unfortunately, I have seen this time and time again, sorry, dear women! As a result, you often miss out on opportunities for a management position. This phenomenon is widely known. I would therefore like to expressly encourage all women reading this to jump in at the deep end - provided they have the ambition to do so. All I can say is. It's always worth it. 
Here, too, I'll dive into the treasure trove of my experiences. I studied economics and Chinese. I already knew during my time at university that I wanted to work in sales later on. That inspired me. It's always good to have an inner plan or a vision. 
My first job after graduating was with an international company that wanted to conquer the Chinese market. As I speak fluent Chinese and already knew the country from a longer study visit, I was chosen for this task. The fact that I was obviously passionate about sales and presented coherent ideas and concepts right from the start obviously also spoke in my favor. After a successful mission and many weeks and months on site, I worked for a company in Goslar for a few years. After that, I felt ready for self-employment. Together with my husband, I founded my own company, supplying large retail chains with my products for over 15 years. 
As we had restructured our company - and streamlined many work processes in the process - I was able to look for a new professional challenge. I was looking for a role in which I could develop  
my sales skills in a new, but equally challenging context. When I heard about a vacancy in sales at Med-X-Press, I was immediately electrified. Getting to grips with a completely unfamiliar and very complex subject matter appealed to me enormously. I accepted the challenge - and jumped in at the deep end. Needless to say, it was more than refreshing. In total, I spent around a year immersing myself in the topics - from the basics of pharmaceutical law to the use of the products and questions of production. A sales manager has to understand all the processes, including the qualitative principles, down to the last detail, otherwise she simply can't sell anything. In a nutshell: women who follow their passion - in my case it was sales - and recognize and use the opportunities that present themselves will go their way.

This first year at Med-X-Press was also a lesson in humility. My favorite saying until then was always: sales is sales is sales... But there is a lot more expertise involved in this area. I couldn't teach myself that in a weekend seminar or online tutorial. In the end, the decision and my willingness to make the effort paid off. After a year, I joined the management team and have been actively involved in the company's development ever since. To this day, I am glad to have been given this opportunity - and to have taken it. But it wouldn't have worked without the trust and support of the management. One final thought: you often hear that people regret at the end of their lives that they didn't dare or do certain things. But then it's too late. I never wanted to be one of them. And I hope you don't either.

Due to the Christmas break, the next blog post will be published on January 10. Until then, we wish you a peaceful and relaxing time! Your BLOG team
 

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