Recently, some of the women of Steel & Tube attended Indictor’s Women in Sales webinar. Hosted by Indicator’s Sales Leader, Abbie Takle, the event invited a range of inspirational women to share their stories of personal and career growth.
The stellar line up of speakers consisted of Andrea Scown (Chief Executive Officer at Mitre 10 New Zealand), Sheridan Broadbent (Independent Director at Trustpower and more), Dominique Latu (Area Sales Manager at NZ Safety Blackwoods) and Dr Michelle Dickinson (Founder of Nanogirl Labs).
The overarching message of the event: Be bold and brave. With over 300 attendees, this was a message that resonated with the women of Steel & Tube. Here, Mirjana Vlatkovic, National Marketing Manager, and Charlotte Ashmore, Digital Marketing Specialist, share their three key takeaways from the webinar.
Takeaway One: Developing resilience & confronting failure
The importance of forging ahead in the face of failure and adversity was a common thread throughout each of the presentations. For many people in business, their career path resembles more of a winding road than a direct route from A to B. For that reason, it is important to continue on in the face of adversity. Of course, resilience isn’t about weathering the storm. It’s about an ability to adapt to the various situations we find ourselves in both personally and professionally.
Speaking to this point, Charlotte of Steel & Tube says: “A key lesson I am fortunate to have learned early in my career is the importance of perseverance. I have always sought roles where I am continually learning. I’ve found that this level of challenge ultimately builds resilience as you learn to adapt and evolve more effectively with each situation you face”.
Takeaway Two: It’s not about you
This was another key message from the webinar. It speaks to the importance of focusing on customer success and the needs of your colleagues. Ultimately, a focus on driving customer success and supporting your colleagues can allow you to move towards your end goal together. A fractured approach which is hinged on self-promotion is often counter-productive. This also highlights the importance of building relationships at a cross-business level. It ultimately allows you to network internally and builds the trust required to working together effectively.
For that reason, focus on what matters most – your customers and your colleagues. With this approach and a lot of hard work, your own career success will evolve in time.
Reflecting on this key message, Mirjana, our National Marketing Manager, says: “It is all about customer and customer's journey and experience. And cross-team collaboration is the key. Every interaction customers have with our business — whether it be through marketing, sales, customer service, or using the product or service itself — is part of the customer experience. This means that the customer experience comes from different departments and areas of expertise working together. In return, shifting to team-oriented structures can boost team bonding, improving workplace dynamics, spur innovation and creativity.
Takeaway Three: Your most important board is your loved ones
As many New Zealanders shifted to working from home considering the changes to COVID-19 alert level restrictions, our personal and professional lives have become increasingly intertwined. For many, working from home means balancing the demands of home schooling, childcare, eldercare and more with their professional lives.
Reflecting on this transition into working from home for an extended period, Mirjana says: “For me, it has been about continuing to make the time to get outside for a walk and to not be too hard on yourself if you can’t get every item on your To Do list crossed off. It’s harder than ever to maintain work-life balance and it’s something that many of us need to work to maintain. My best advice is to set your working times in your calendar and don’t work outside of these hours, even if the task is small. This gives you a chance to take care of yourself and rest as needed.”.
If you’re after some inspiration alongside your morning cup of coffee, make sure you keep an eye out for future Women in Sales events hosted by Indicator.
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