How would you define the role of women in shaping the future of business?

March is a rather unique month. It marks the end of cold and lifeless winter and the beginning of spring, filled with new life and bright colours! In a way, it's natural to have the International Women's Day in March too. Because women too bring new life and colour to both our private and work lives. Women have had trouble expressing themselves at work in the past, however, one thing is certain - the future of business is theirs to shape!

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Earlier this week, we've shared a video with you filled with meaningful messages from great women in our workplaces, in our lives. However, that video was too limited a format to express and live through everything the ladies had to say. So, we've decided to dedicate our first LinkedIn article to their powerful reflections.

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"We are all aware that women have an extraordinary capacity to multitask and manage their personal and professional life, as one does now. I've seen ladies with three children in high managerial positions doing an excellent job in both roles. I've also seen women as leaders who are followed by their workforce and succeed.

I am fortunate that Romania has a higher proportion of women in managerial positions than the rest of the EU, so entrepreneurs are accustomed to treating women with dignity and respecting their perspectives. Women in senior management positions can push the organization to the next level due to their talents, competence, and systematic approach."

Gabriela Ciupitu

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"In 2022, is that really the right question to ask? Is that really where we are today? I feel like that's just trivial, and there's more to women's contributions to business than asking how we shape the future of business. We've done that for a long time now. (Think Rosie the Riveter. Think beyond that.) We can be whoever we want to be. We can do whatever we want to do. We are smart, caring, innovative, and so much more. Society and the business world at large have to be open to that - and that's how we will advance.

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I'm not for setting targets of how many women need to lead or be on boards or whatever. There are so many smart and amazing women in business. Find them. Acknowledge them. Hire them. Make women a part of your business because they bring so much to the table. (We do!) Not because you're forced to by quotas or edicts or whatever. This is not 1822. It's 2022. Get with the program!"

Annette Franz

"I believe the role of women is in shaping human-centred businesses connected to communities, customers and employees. We, as women, have a duty to foster true diversity of thought and inclusion. We have the power to co-create businesses with a bigger purpose of sustainability, education and peace."

Olga Potapseva

"Women can shape the future of business by bringing the perspective of our lived experiences. Together we provide a more holistic view of the needs of customers and team members, enabling us to identify new opportunities, shift the landscape, and progress."

Sarah Painter

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"Every day the future of business is being defined and shaped by the contribution, innovation and diverse perspectives of individuals from all genders, not just women. It should not be a question of gender, rather a celebration of how businesses and societies are now tapping into the capabilities and talents of an entire population that was once marginalized. And an acknowledgement of our progress towards removing the gender label altogether from the business context."

Ruba Hachim

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"Women are pivotal in business. We have a unique set of skills that enables us to be successful. Highly organised, critical thinkers with naturally high levels of EQ places us in a great position to shape the future of business. ?

As we come out of the pandemic, it's really clear that our workforce wants something different from work. They want to do purposeful, mission-led work that enables them to feel fulfilled. They also want to retain the improved work-life balance many of them saw over the past couple of years. ?

Much of this workforce is female and it's well-documented that women have carried the load in many families as they've worked, homeschooled and supported their households. It's time now for women to emerge stronger and utilise the skills they have to create the workplace of the future."

Emma Wardle??

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"Women have the ability to achieve anything as they are result oriented and at the same time passionate towards people, external and internal customers. I found the most intriguing quality of women is that they are competitive, and this helps in improving numbers in any business. They are also successfully multitasking."

Gamar Moamenah

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"I believe Women are wired differently. Apart from being critical problem solvers, they empathise, communicate, work collaboratively and strive towards greater inclusivity and diversity! Women are adding new dimensions and are being the change everyone wants to see. They continue to work from the grassroot levels and lead from the front."

Shruthi Boosey

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"Women will lead a positive change in the workplace experience across all industries."

Rim Bdiri

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"Women shape the future of business by leading differently. They provide representation for other women to access top leadership levels, and it is this diversity of thought, experiences, values and mindset that enriches organisations and allows them to perform better."

Samantha Golinski

"With the number of changes around the workplace and working practices "forced" on us by the (still ongoing but hopefully receding) pandemic that is Covid-19, I would like to respond to that question by saying "much more positive".?

Look at the massive shift in approach to work-life balance recently. Everything is changing, in flux. If a woman wants to stay current in the workplace AND have children, she already does. Flexibility and work-life balance have always been on the wish list for most professional women, and now they need to drive this change. They need to understand what their own non-negotiables are and stop trying to work with compromised values.??

This is not something new, but (sadly) is something women are particularly bad at – they need to free themselves up to shape and drive the future. To do that, they should be clear about the shape they want the future of business to take. They can only do this by getting in there and changing things – being on the periphery and pontificating about what should change is not going to do it!???

You might not like the look of the present incumbents at the top – or even really want to be part of that – but how else are you going to shape the future into something better, more inclusive, more representative of the population and the workplace? ?

There have been encouraging statistics over the last few years around the increasing numbers of women in senior management roles (globally – not just UK) and even a (not quite so convincing) closing in gender parity. There is plenty of well-documented research around women being more innovative, they score more highly on most EI competencies (including conflict management, adaptability and teamwork). But, sadly, I am disappointed by the number of comments around there now being a "window of opportunity" to accelerate the shaping of businesses into a more inclusive future - to me, that language suggests that those already in place (senior positions) will "let" this happen, rather than drive to re-shape. That's not good enough!

I think it was in the series "Mad Men" (showing my age here – I can't believe that was more than 5 years ago!) where a piece of advice given between the female characters was "You can't be a man – don't even try. Be a woman." Well, yes – maybe not in the context that was uttered but yes – be a woman, but be a senior manager, a CFO, a CEO a non-exec director, whatever floats your boat. But do it because you are a highly-skilled, experienced and competent person.??

We are starting to see the changes, but I believe it is more generational than gender-driven. Perhaps Gen Y has been fortunate in the number of positive female role models, but maybe they have it right and just look to role models regardless of gender. Perhaps that is what we should be focusing on. This is a fantastic time to shape or help to shape that shift once and for all so that it's no longer about women shaping the future of business, but about business leaders (regardless of gender) shaping a diverse, all-inclusive non-gender bias future.

And if you want a modern role model who exudes all of that – I give you Nicola Benedetti. First female (and first Scottish) Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. Gen Y.??Shaping the future!"

Claire M L Easy

We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to all the women who participated in our project. But also to those who read this article, our female colleagues, relatives, sisters, and mothers. Thank you for making this life special, women. Remember, March 8 is just a day to remind us that every day is International Women's Day!