The True Measure of a Woman

One of the highlights of my bangkok trip was meeting up with a key customer. I learned many things during this business exposure trip that put all the bits and pieces together into a more complete picture for me. However, the most enlightening moment for me personally was this interview.

My US colleague is an extremely capable person. Very structured, knows what she wants, and tries very hard not to disrupt anybody else's plans while getting what she wants. But she has the determination to get her objectives fulfilled down to the last detail. Which should be the way it is.

However, even she was overwhelmed by the humility and modesty of the key customer we interviewed. I had requested for the interview from our Thailand colleagues who helped me set it up. This item in the agenda was highly recommended by the same global accounts manager who had commented that I look like an 18 year old. As there were many articles about this customer in the press, as well as a couple of people who were pushing for a story with this customer, we followed closely on our Thai colleagues to clinch the time for the interview.

It was finally confirmed that she had accepted the request and we were nervous at meeting this highly accomplished and respected professional who had an incredible international reputation. We were ushered into the VIP room, which overwhelmed our sales colleague who had personally approached this customer through her assistant. Apparently, only top level VIPs had been shown to this room, and he himself had only been up there twice because he had to make presentations to VIPs.

When she walked into the room, it was like a rush of wind blew in, straightened everything in the room that was wrong, then flew out again. Of course, the interview was not as quick, lasting for a couple of hours. But the impression that she gave me was someone full of positive energy, efficient, fearless, brisk, focused and knew exactly how things should be, and how to rally everyone to get it done the right way, her way.

Far from being a dictatorian, she works with her team like a family. She attributed her success to previous bosses who had groomed her and paved the way to her success. She deemed her ability to keep the business prospering to the dedicated team she had, and to her business partners who had been extremely loyal and supported her right up to the 3rd generation. While this may sound like an incredible possibility of someone who had the blessings of the gods, the fact that she had kept the business successful AND growing at an exponential rate for a quarter of a century, any smart business professional would tell you it takes more than luck to do that.

After the interview, I felt incredibly lucky to have been included in an interview with this woman. Rising above her male counterparts in a man's industry, she had such leadership qualities that she was third in command in a multinational company that earned billions of dollars in gross margin. On the way back to the Thai office, I had a good time of evaluation. I don't know if I had the inclination, nor the drive, to push myself the way this customer and my boss do. And I had slightly different priorities in life. But I did take away many valuable nuggets - the pursuit of our true passion in life, being focused in our endeavours, embracing the grit of discipline, having a clear view of what success means, and never being afraid of hard work nor sacrifices. Hooray to all the female professionals who are in pursuit of their personal success!