| Time – our most precious gift |
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I recently had the privilege of tasting a rare cognac which made me think profoundly about time and what it means. This special drink is made by blending together eaux-de-vie (loosely translated as “water of life”) made from grapes from the Grande Champagne. This sounds pretty ordinary, except that there are 100 year’s worth of vintages of these “eaux-de-vies” that go into a single bottle. One sip, is a century’s worth of effort, experience, passion and devotion.
What made me think profoundly about time, is that the cellar master today is not creating something that he or she will get to experience in his or her lifetime. He or she is creating something for the future. This is an enormous responsibility in terms of creating something that can withstand the test of time and change, and be relevant 100 years from now.
This made me reflect on my role as a professional accountant and the impact I can make - not just on the profession - but also to advancing the cause of women in the workplace. I did the calculations – for an average career of 30 years, at 240 working days a year, there are 7 200 opportunities to make a difference. While there are opportunities to make a difference in so many areas, the one I would most want to be remembered for is building strong, capable women for the future.
Many of my past experiences – particularly in the work environment - have been about proving that men and women are the same. This even went as far as employers imposing dress codes that required women to only wear pant suits, shirts and closed shoes. There was an active drive to “assimilate” women into an often masculine work environment.
To ensure that women truly have a place – at work or anywhere else – I believe it is critical to acknowledge that men and women are different. Differences do not result in weakness. On the contrary, difference result in diversity. Diversity means having different ways, different ideas, different strengths, and different capabilities to leverage when you need them most. Being labelled the “fairer sex” does not mean that women lack strength; it means they are compassionate and empathetic - which are character traits critical to the success of any team.
In each of the opportunities we have to make a difference, I would like to spend them being a role model for women today to build the women we want to see in the future. For me, this means embracing being a woman and what this means, and developing and inspiring others to do the same. It’s okay to be different – it’s okay to be feminine and nurturing; and bold, assertive and courageous at the same time.
This Women’s Month, let’s think about how we use our time – the most precious gift we can share with others – and invest it in the women of our future. We may never get to see them, but let them look back at us with a sense of with pride.
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