Stories of Creativity, Women, Work and Wealth

By Asma Baig

This book is about women and their positions in businesses in the early twenty-first century. It is a study about how womens thoughts and behaviours, the society, organisations and necessity affects their work, lives and careers.

The research conducted has investigated the gradual increase of women as business leaders and the factors that encourage this rise. This was done mainly through primary research using questionnaires and interviews.

The research findings are divided into personal characteristics of women, societal characteristics that help create them and organisational characteristics that sustain and promote women in work and leadership. Through determining the causes that encourage certain women to pursue leadership positions in businesses, this research has outlined some ways how more women can aspire to take on leading roles.

The qualitative research also generated ideas such as help to women when career breaks become necessary for family reasons and the help available on returning back to work. The findings show that more work needs to be done on understanding the value of contribution that women can bring to businesses, in this modern age.

The Creativity section highlights the use of our minds and our imagination when we need answers to problems, help from the forces of this universe and divine guidance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Oct 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496993366

Asma Baig

Asma Baig is a pharmacist and a Master of Business administration (MBA). Her work experiences in India and U.K. gave her tremendous opportunities to learn about how people handle their work and their careers. Asma’s study about leadership and her dissertation topic for MBA ‘ Women in Leadership and their rise as business leaders’ encouraged her to interview over a hundred women in leadership and general work situations. There were a hundred stories to be explained. Asma has chosen eleven case studies for explaining the various angles to women’s lives and what women can achieve. These stories are about working women in the U.K. and how their family lives and work lives are integrated. There are situations in each story that explain how women enter into a particular job, a profession or a business. There are situations that highlight their career moves and jumps. The stories revolve around their personal lives and how work affects personal life and how personal life affects business. Each example provides insights about various aspects of personality and career development from enhancing creativity and skills to setting realistic goals to consistency and hard work. It is a revelation for people who don’t have a clear idea about how women in the west handle their careers? What obstacles, challenges, opportunities and wealth generating activities women can undertake? Each profession is different but there are some fundamental aspects of work and wealth. Women can grasp those fundamentals to enhance their careers and wealth. There are ideas about increasing our creative side by sharpening our senses and indulging in mental exercises. This book is about how we can use our creative talents to stay ahead in competition.

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© 2014 Asma Baig. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/28/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9340-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9336-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The importance of Women, Work and Wealth

Help women leaders

Summary

Case Study One

Margaret: Director of Planning and Partnership

Case Study Two

Teresa: Project Manager

Case Study Three

Elizabeth: Pharmacist

Case Study Four

A Solicitor & lecturer

Case Study Five

Fiona: An Operations Manager

Case Study Six

Claire: A Co-Ordinator

Case Study Seven

Suzanne: Midwife & Health Visitor

Case Study Eight

Alison: Personalised gifts Lady

Case Study Nine

Ingrid the Entrepreneur: A Full Story

Case Study Ten

Julie: Property entrepreneur

Case Study Eleven

Helen: Pharmacist and Managing Director

Your Creative Side

Creative Imagination and Day Dreaming

Bibliography

About the Author

ABSTRACT

This book is about women and their positions in businesses in the early twenty-first century. It is a study about how women’s thoughts and behaviours, the society, organisations and necessity affects their work, lives and careers.

The research conducted has investigated the gradual increase of women as business leaders and the factors that encourage this rise. This was done mainly through primary research using questionnaires and interviews.

The research findings are divided into personal characteristics of women, societal characteristics that help create them and organisational characteristics that sustain and promote women in work and leadership. Through determining the causes that encourage certain women to pursue leadership positions in businesses, this research has outlined some ways how more women can aspire to take on leading roles.

The qualitative research also generated ideas such as help to women when career breaks become necessary for family reasons and the help available on returning back to work. The findings show that more work needs to be done on understanding the value of contribution that women can bring to businesses, in this modern age.

The Creativity section highlights the use of our minds and our imagination when we need answers to problems, help from the forces of this universe and divine guidance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank God for helping me at every step and making this book possible.

My study about’ Women In Leadership’ opened many doors and brought in a lot of issues and ideas around the topic of ‘women in business’ and those aspiring to enhance their careers.

I am thankful for the opportunity to meet so many women aspiring to be leaders and those already holding leadership positions. It has truly cleared my vision about ‘women aspiring leadership’.

I am fully appreciative of the opinions expressed by a lot of senior men and husbands of leading ladies. They are proud of their women and very happy to support them. My gratitude goes to all these men and others who hold these views but can’t freely express them and I respect their wish to be kept anonymous.

I was deeply touched by some of the very successful and highly educated men who actually said that more women should study MBA and/or become entrepreneurial because they bring better results than their male counterparts.

I am obliged by all the participants of primary research for their valuable input and time. Names and identities are changed for confidentiality.

Last but not the least, my gratitude goes to my family who have ‘up skilled’ their domestic capabilities and liberated me from some domestic responsibilities which helped to complete writing this book in one year.

The bibliography is only a small list of articles and books that had influenced me around the time of interviewing my candidates and thinking about their lives in relation to leadership in business. My experience as a pharmacist, a homeopath, a tutor and a business person has fortunately helped in meeting a wide variety of people who have discussed their work and life situations with me almost on a daily basis for twenty three years of my career.

Asma Baig

INTRODUCTION

This book focuses on women in different industries; their personal and professional characteristics, family and educational backgrounds, culture of society and organisations, the obstacles that women face, the factors that inspire and motivate them to keep going forward in their careers, their coping mechanisms and their messages to other women and the future generation.

Primary research was done after developing a questionnaire. These set of 20 questions were the main points to explore during face to face interviews and emails to appropriate candidates. The conversations led to deeper knowledge about their life stories. Some of the stories are illustrated in this book to explain the variety of roles that women have and the different facets to their lives in the U.K.

With these findings some conclusions have been drawn about the existing scenario around women and their lives at home and at work places and recommendations are made for women aspiring to further enhance their positions from middle management upwards. Recommendations are made to women, organisations and for further research.

As we seek to determine what factors affect women in their career trajectory from housewives to middle management and upwards, as entrepreneurs or managing directors of companies or other higher positions in businesses; we cover areas within the current thinking, support to women, women’s own attitudes and blocks affecting their rise as entrepreneurs, career women or business leaders and what women want for their daughters and future generations.

Also the conditioning of society, including women themselves, plays a big role in their career fulfilments and happy lives.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN, WORK AND WEALTH

The traditional expectations for women in the first half of the twentieth century were to settle down and become home makers. The increase in advanced degrees, their expected financial contribution within families or as independent individuals, the self-esteem awareness, the increase in number of women in competitive sports and more women pursuing masters and higher qualifications have changed the picture of society dramatically in the twenty-first century.

While this influx of women in all areas is promoting their success in a growing list of possible professions, it is reducing the hours women can spend at home doing the traditional jobs. In previous generations when women worked, they were not required to contribute heavily towards household expenses or to businesses. They didn’t have to excel at work or aspire to be leaders because they had a household to take care of. Working was optional for the middle class women and those of higher income families.

Now in countries that understand the importance of educating women, most high achieving women enter the workplace with the expectation of creating successful careers, not just finding a job and remaining at entry levels for more than half of their working lives or just to be able to pay the bills. Women can now enter doors that used to allow only men. These include working in or owning retail stores and supermarkets, construction and transportation businesses, owning hotels, golf clubs and a huge list of internet based businesses.

There are many benefits to having women in senior positions in businesses. If companies have a fully engaged workforce including women, who know that their own fulfilment comes from reaching their full potential, the impact on the company is tremendous. These companies are likely to see lower stress levels, fewer sick days, fewer injuries, increased productivity, harmony and many other benefits. There’s a lot of untapped potential for the business world from the skill sets that exist with women who had to manage often with very few resources and have had to be extremely creative to get the job done or to support themselves and their families.

Many companies now focus on having women in their senior leadership teams because they realise that women are an asset rather than a liability. Women bring a wider range of perspectives, not merely a token representation; which is critical to effective corporate governance. This view towards diversity is essential as companies face complex and dynamic issues in the twenty first century.

Biological reasons of women bearing children and a major role of looking after the family while men provided the economic needs has created huge gender differences. Countries which have recognized the advantages of the development of female leaders see the benefits of providing resources and opportunities to women for the overall social and economic development.

The areas designated are:

• achieving equal economic independence of women and men;

• increasing the compliance of work and private life by better work-life policies for men and women;

• promoting equal participation in decision-making;

• abolishing gender violence and trafficking of women and children;

• removing gender stereotypes in society; and

• promoting gender equality.

Some of the well-recognised problems that affect women’s equal representation at senior management levels are:

• Gender stereotypes: family and organisations are equally responsible for the imbalance.

• Working mothers need support with childcare, house work and training.

• Greater need for support networks, mentors and women role models.

• Equal