“As a woman, you hold great potential to succeed in whatever you set your mind to do, regardless of the industry you are in”
Be it in the male-dominated industries, or the seemingly female dominated world, Women are capable of rising above every bias and discrimination from the society and making significant progress.
Here at HEBO Consult, we believe that too, and that’s why our team comprises of 80% women and 20% men. Not to underplay men in any way, but we aim to restore and empower women to inhabit their position of influence in both the career or personal lives.
For a long time, women around the world, especially in Africa have been tagged as housekeepers, manual laborers, and the ones who perform domestic jobs and menial office jobs. But our generation is showing a rise in the kind of women who refuse to settle for less, challenging the status quo, taking leadership positions, and setting a new standards for the next generation. Such women are the true ambassadors of the phrase “Breaking the Bias”
This month we interviewed 5 women who are leading projects in construction, fashion and design, education and technology as well as in the health care field. We wanted to learn about their different perspectives regarding the challenges and stereotypes faces by Women in their industries and what the future holds for their industry and other women in projects.
The different women we spoke to were generous enough to share the secrets behind their success in leading projects and managing people in the industries they are in. We asked about their best piece to fellow women and upcoming project leaders;
1. FOCUS ON BEING YOUR BEST SELF.
In an industry like construction where women have been underrepresented, faced with gender bias, and unfair compensations simply because of a negative cultural or traditional ideology in the community towards a female contractor, Senior Quantity Margaret Ezekiel, PMP® who is leading the Project Management Unit at National Housing Corporation, makes it clear that, If you focus on becoming the best version of yourself, then, everything else will take care of itself.
“When starting to climb the leadership ladder, everyone wants to prove that the man is a leader more than the woman. Perhaps because of the culture. The moment you show that you can work as a leader -even as a woman – eventually, they will come to accept you.”
Qs. Margaret Ezekiel, PMP® further emphasized how important it is for you as a woman to step out as a leader and stand out. How then will the world know your capability?
“Most women can perform very well but don’t step up as leaders, rather, they are always following around. You have to break that bias. Show what you’ve got, take the lead where you can, then the world will be a better place. And so will the project management discipline.”
2. BE DARING
Kemi Kalikawe is a creative and fashion consultant and the founder of Naledi Fashion House, who has a passion for both the creative industry and the tech industry. She merges the two and equips women around Tanzania in the creative industry through digital technology. Her journey with Naledi is patched with a hand full of bold steps that brought breakthroughs.
“As a young woman that is aspiring to grow in the creative industry of fashion and design, do not be scared to fail and try. You may never know that the next door you knock on might be your breakthrough.”
Beyond being daring, you must also invest in knowing your territory, by acquiring knowledge about the field that you are in
“Maybe at the beginning, you don’t know what it is but start learning whatever it is you want to get into. Be immersed in what you are doing so that when you speak about it, you speak about it out of knowledge, and you will always be learning. You are not going to know everything, but know as much as you can.”
3. DO NOT GIVE UP
After months of unemployment and experiencing rejected applications in her field of study, Dr. Neema Machumu, a Medical Doctor and Public Health Practitioner, decided to shift her focus from the medical health to Public Health.
“People don’t believe that a woman can be an orthopedic surgeon, because it’s tough to work and all. But there are women who pursue that and there are women out there who are Orthopedics surgeons. Believe that you have what it takes to make it regardless of the bias in the society.”
4. DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU
Dr. Mboni Kibelloh, heads the ICT Department at Kampala International University in Tanzania and founded the Darasa Tech platform, earned her PH.D. Management Information Systems at a fairly young age. And after research around women in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics), she discovered the influence women’s decisions have in the tech industry. Since then, she has continued to work with the youth to inspire, mentor and coach then in the pursuit of opportunities through Technology adoption.
“With girls, there’s always that fear that I can’t program, I can’t code… But programming is not the only thing about tech. There’s so much more. And if programming is not your forte, it is okay. You can be a Ux designer, graphics person, tester, or researcher. There’s room for everybody.”
5. PRIORITIZE LEARNING AND UPSKILLING.
With over 16 years of project management, Bulla Boma, PMP®, the Co-founder and Director of HEBO Consult, navigated and grow in her career in project managing through diversifying across different industries from banking to real estate to telecommunication and technology. She attributed her success to the continuous pursuit of knowledge to enhance her skills and to global standards and industry certifications.
“I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power. We have a lot of development projects going on, and the Government and investors are pouring in funds to implement their projects. The demand for professionals with the right skills and qualifications to ensure that these projects succeed in terms of delivery, and quality is imperative now more than ever before”
As a woman, pursue knowledge, beef up your skills and be a life long learner. Because knowledge put to practice, makes a difference between what is and what isn’t, success and failure.
About HEBO Consult
HEBO Consult is project management consulting firm that helps businesses, organizations, and individuals get the right skills, tools, and frameworks to successfully execute projects. Whether through consulting or training, we are committed to bringing you the right strategies, skillset, and mindset to turn your ideas into the best reality possible.
