How can we attract more women into Engineering?

On 23^rd June 2014 it is National Women in Engineering Day in the UK http://www.wes.org.uk/nwed.

This is an opportunity to raise the profile and celebrate the achievements of women in engineering.

During my time here in the Philippines I have observed that many more women naturally choose a profession in engineering, which led me to wonder why.  Recently I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to a very interesting engineer, Dr. Anna Bella SIRIBAN-MANALANG, Director, Center for Lean Systems and Management, Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering, De La Salle University, Philippines. 

GS:  What was your reason for choosing to follow a career in engineering? 

ABS-R:  My father was a businessman, who was engaged in engine rebuilding.  I was trained early in his shop so I knew technical stuff even when young.  I also had an aptitude for mathematics.   So instead of choosing medicine or law, I leaned towards engineering. My father supported my decision.  I went into Industrial Engineering because it had the most women at that time.  I enjoyed the discipline in the Philippines.  Being a developing country, we needed all kinds of improvements across all sectors.  Seeing things from a Systems Perspective, I knew there are just so many things to learn and do in education, social discipline, economic growth, industrial infrastructure and others. 

GS: What challenges and rewards have you encountered along the way? 

ABS-R:  There is a great need for industrial engineers in all sectors in the country.  We are a highly creative people with strong inclinations in the arts, but we have very poor infrastructures in education, sciences, and industries.   Being a PhD graduate I was able to fill a need in my society, my name often comes up first whenever a consultant or trainer is required in Lean or Six Sigma. 

GS: What advice would you offer to a woman wanting to follow a career in engineering? 

ABS-R:  You must love and be excellent in mathematics to go to engineering.  You must have great passion towards changing technology and foresee the impact to the local and global community.  

 

In my partner’s engineering consultancy, here in Manila, the key points that Anna Bella make are supported.  I asked a few of the women engineers there what factors played a part in them choosing the profession, they all agreed it was having a strong role model, usually someone in the family and a love of mathematics.

 

Gill
Manila

June 9^th 2014

 

 

Reflections from Manila

Embracing Differences

According to Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and cited as the third most influential business thinker by Thinkers50 in London, the current challenge for businesses is to embrace ‘design thinking’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ySKaZJ_dU 

The central theme to design thinking is the ability to work with two opposing perspectives in order to create something new, e.g. asking a creative designer to work with a traditional organisation to bring about a change in culture.  Imagine the challenge on both sides of this equation.  However, by combining logical and intuitive thinking processes both of which are essential for design thinking, Martin suggests it is possible to create a more robust output.

This led me to reflect on my life here in Manila and how it is filled with contrasts.  For example, I recently delivered a workshop for the Filipino Dept of Education on Coaching & Mentoring for a group of 50, in contrast I am about to run a workshop on Creativity & Innovation for a group of 6.  Last week I was invited to a ‘Boodle Fight’ which was a simple birthday lunch for a Filipino friend where the food was laid out on banana leaves and we sat around and ate with our hands, in contrast I attended an extravagant charity ball organized by the expat community of ANZA in Manila.  As the tag line for tourism in the Philippines, says, “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. 

http://www.tourism.gov.ph/pages/default.aspx 

Our lives are filled with many contrasting thoughts and experiences; it’s how we embrace these differences that will help us to create an enriching life for individuals, organisations and society.

 

Gill

Manila

14 March 2014

Six Years in Business - Part 6 - Moving Forward

The Journey Continues

In this final blog in our birthday series, we summarise our reflections on building our company over the last six years. What are the key success factors that we believe will take us forward to further success and have relevance for others who are embarking on a similar entrepreneurial journey?

1. Flexibility – nothing stays the same. However focused you might be on your product/service, the environment will bring changes that you hadn’t anticipated. Don’t be afraid, be flexible and adaptable.

2. Creativity – be creative in your thinking and approach – ‘every problem has an opportunity’ says Zakorsky (http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/development/a/032303.htm).
Our directors currently operate out of different continents. This was not planned and could have led to the end of Level Seven but we used this as an opportunity to develop the business in a different way whilst still delivering our core services. Innovation is a fundamental part of our business philosophy and this underpins everything that we do.

3. Resilience – being a business owner is tough and we need to be able to spring back from adversity stronger than ever if we are to survive and flourish. Whilst our levels of resilience can vary at different points, we can all build and maintain sustainable levels of resilience to keep us strong. You can gain insight into your own level of resilience and make use of some useful  free development tools from Robertson Cooper at :
http://www.robertsoncooper.com/iresilience/.

We’ve had a great six years and look forward to the next six.  Thanks to all our clients, associates, friends and family for your support – we raise a glass to you all!

Dorothy & Gill
Northampton and Manila     
5 March 2014

Six Years in Business - Part 5 - Making Decisions - Using Intuition

Decision-making has fascinated many disciplines for many years.  From a psychological perspective, my own interest has focused on the acknowledgement that different thought processes feed into decision-making at different times.  These processes are commonly differentiated and described as intuitive thinking and logical thinking.

As directors of Level 7 we have had to make many decisions, independently and jointly.  In the early days of setting up the business I would describe our predominant decision making style as intuitive.  This is because the situations and challenges we faced as new business owners were mostly novel.  We had little or no context experience and often needed to make decisions rapidly.  These factors lend themselves to an intuitive way of working.  Daniel Kahneman in his book, Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow describes human thinking styles as System 1 and System 2.  (You may have seen him on BBC2’s Horizon programme on 24 February explaining this – if not, it’s on iplayer until 4 March!).  System 1 is slow, deliberate, cautious and analytical and System 2 is fast, automatic and relies on associations and patterns.  So, has L7’s style changed over the years?  I don’t  think so.  Our preference is still to follow what feels right and not get weighed down with too much data and analysis.  

Intuition will never replace logic in the workplace and nor should it.  We advocate a balanced approach to any business activity but sometimes the activity can benefit from being intuition-led, for example business innovation.  Imagine the difference in outcome of a logic led discussion and an imaginative led discussion about business potential, possibilities and ideas about new markets, products and processes?  

So, what is the predominant thinking style in your organization?  Does it need to re-balance?  If so, what is your role in making this happen?  Intuition and creativity go hand-in-hand.  Creativity starts with letting the imagination run free, taking time out to explore new ways of thinking and acting, creating the right environment for this to happen and of course having fun!

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3026599/industry-pov/innovation-youre-doing-it-wrong-how-to-put-intuition-and-ideas-before-tests-and

Gill                                                                                        

Manila                                                                                                 

28 February 2014

Six Years in Business Part 4 – Getting out There – Networking for Introverts

Over the last six years we have tried just about every marketing technique in the book and spent a fair amount of time and money trying to find the ‘right way’. Of course, experienced folk will tell you that there is no one right way: it’s about ensuring that you are approaching your market from different angles with a range of strategies. As I’ve said in a previous blog, the relationship building process is key and an important part of that is getting out there and meeting people – networking. Now as someone who is fundamentally introverted (a classic ISFJ in Myers Briggs terms), this has been one of my biggest challenges. Fortunately Gill is an extrovert so we complement each other as business partners but it’s not about hand holding, as individuals we have had to establish ourselves as credible professionals in the marketplace. So, how can we introverts ‘get out there’ and maximise networking as part of our marketing tool kit? I love the points made in Dave Roos’s  ‘How Stuff Works’ article (link below) with lots of great tips to make networking not just bearable but enjoyable too.

I’m sure my fellow introverts will find something that resonates for them but for me there are four particularly valuable points in this article that I have found helpful:

Volunteer – be part of the event, have a role to play to occupy your mind and give you a specific reason to interact with other participants

Arrive early – entering a room full of people can be very daunting. Pre empting this makes it easier to establish eye contact with others as they arrive. Lingering at the coffee can be a good way to break the ice.

Magic number – setting a goal for the number of new contacts you want to meet is a good idea.  On a broader level plan your strategy - who is likely to be there, from where, who would you like to meet, and who might introduce you?

Be interested – smiling is such a simple and easy thing to do and engages people. No matter who else might come in the door maintain interest in the person you are speaking to through eye contact and positive body language. Have some questions up your sleeve that will help you find out about the person you are talking to.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/business/professional-development/10-networking-tips-people-hate-networking.htm#page=0

Let me know what works for you, I’d love to hear from you.

Dorothy

Northampton

21 February 2014

Six Years in Business Part 3 – Building Relationships (or Kissing Frogs)

In this Valentine’s week, it seems pertinent to consider relationships in business. How can we find our princes without kissing too many frogs along the way?

 People are the heart of any business. People buy people and if someone is going to buy from us, they need to like and trust us (See Fogarty’s tips at: http://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/8-tips-relationship-building-business).

Building relationships takes time and is a delicate process that needs a balance of empathy and tenacity on our part. On our journey over the last six years, we have experienced some fairy tale happy endings and some heartbreak.  Many of our disappointments have come from misreading the signs or being led along a path to nowhere. However, in keeping with our learning ethos and our fairy tale scenario, we have learned from these experiences. We have kissed lots of random frogs in multiple pools over the last six years: we now kiss fewer frogs in smaller pools through more targeted marketing.  We will only kiss a frog if the frog has expressed a clear desire to be kissed: our offering is now more targeted based on knowledge of client needs.   Liking and trusting each other then become easier and we now meet many more handsome princes!

May you find /enjoy your prince this weekend!

Dorothy

Northampton

13 February 2014

Six Years in Business – and still counting! Part 2 - The Money Bit

When we set up Level 7 in 2008 the economic circumstances were looking bad: not the best time to set up a new business. At that time we took advantage of a range of sources of advice for new businesses. One bit of advice that has stuck with me all the way through is to remember that ‘cash is king’. You need to have sustainable sources of income to survive. This might sound obvious and risk averse, but I believe that this has contributed to our survival and growth during the recession period. The market in which we operate is a challenging one for a number of reasons:

Establishing the brand - differentiating a ‘training consultancy’ business takes time and hard work

Lead times for winning new contracts from initial conversation to sealing the deal can take up to two years

Budgets for training tend to be vulnerable in times of recession

Reluctance to change training providers in times of instability

There will always be competitors knocking on doors offering a cheaper deal

In the face of these challenges, small businesses need to have robust strategies and systems in place to establish and maintain financial viability. These are the ones that I think have kept us in the market and supported our sustained growth:

Have a range of services in your portfolio with a variety of price points – selling large development programmes may take longer in challenging economic times. Smaller scale services will be more affordable and can help you get a foot in the door with future potential for expanded services.

Make sure that the portfolio of services you offer has congruence as your brand and you’re playing to your strengths.

Have the courage to say ‘no’ if an offer of work is not within your expertise. Don’t lose sight of your core business – there will be times when you feel desperate and worried about money and may be tempted to take on work for the sake of it. I’m not saying don’t do it, we all have to eat, but be clear about how the work sits with your business strategy in the longer term.

Stick to your pricing – be open to negotiation but don’t undersell yourself. If you want to be known as a ‘cheap and cheerful’ brand that’s fine as a strategy but if you want to be seen as a quality provider in your  market it’s important to be brave and not be tempted to cut to rock bottom pricing just to win business.

Employ a good accountant! Although this is last on my list, it’s probably the best investment you will make and do this as soon as possible in your business lifecycle.  In fact, find someone who is more than just a good accountant who understands you and your business and understands the importance of building a good relationship – your success and growth will support theirs!

Dorothy

Northampton

27 January 2014

Six Years in Business – and still counting! Part One....

Another Birthday

In this series of blogs I’ll be reflecting on my experiences of setting up a business, the highs and lows and general reflections on why I’m still here doing what I do as Level 7 approaches its 6^th birthday and our 7^th year in business lies ahead.

It is timely for me to start this blog as I myself approach another birthday.  I think as we get older, the desire to reflect grows stronger and of course we have more to reflect upon. In this first blog  I will be reflecting on why I chose to embark upon a new challenge 6 years ago. Up until that point, I had pursued my early career logically, although not always strategically, up the ladder of personnel and human resource management into academia and my approach had always had a strong basis in the need for security and a tendency towards risk aversion.

So, why leave security behind for the uncertainty that self employment brings? 

An age thing – midlife female fed up with being told what to do and needing to be the boss and in charge of my own destiny.

Rekindling the passion - corporate roles can be moulded to an extent but as we get more senior we end up doing less of what originally fired us up.  Learning is my passion – not only do I need to be learning but I need to be imparting that passion to others. The only way that I could be sure of doing as much of this as possible was to make learning and development my full time business.

Sharing the passion – the opportunity to work with like minded people who share the passion. It is not luck that my co director, Gill, and I work together. We share the same passion for learning and the same drive for success and it would not work if we didn’t. That goes for our colleagues, partners and clients too.

Domestic bliss looked different – babies had grown and although they were still around and needed occasional maternal interventions, they had their own lives. Husband had found fulfilment on the football pitch with a whistle round his neck, a pack of cards in his hand and a small notebook in his pocket. I needed to find a new focus for my talents.

So for me making this big decision came down to timing, opportunity and most importantly a process of self reflection and awareness that informed the decision to make that change.  Having made it, I wouldn’t change a thing. That doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes and I certainly haven’t stopped learning.  The journey continues....

Dorothy

Northampton

27 January 2014