#17 How Cultures Shape Female Leadership with Bettina Al-Sadik Lowinski

During a stay in Shanghai Dr. Bettina Al-Sadik Lowinski, Master
Certified coach, decided to do a PhD on how woman rise to the
top. The result of her ongoing research - spanning 110 interviews
in five countries - is her latest book, “Women in Top
Management.”


In today’s podcast she shares some of her findings - all
fascinating, and many surprising. 80% of the executives that she
spoke to in China, Japan, Germany, Russia and France were
mothers, which she didn’t expect. „In my coaching younger women
in Germany hesitate to make a career with kids. What holds them
back often is this „raven mother" stigma.” she says. " In Germany
due to our socialization we hear, well that's not possible, or
it's really difficult. In my global research I have found many
women in senior functions who master their career with children.
They organize support, they free themselves from expectations and
they have defined their professional targets well!”


But she also found that - at least among the current crop of top
managers who are now in their late 40s and 50s - fluid working
models are still very rare. That makes it all more important for
those of us now coming back from parental leave to blaze a new
trail, and to pioneer new and innovative working models at our
companies - so that they become the norm in the next generation.
“The near future will tell us which newer work models will
support mothers but also fathers best,” says Bettina.


Which brings us back to the power of #rolemodels. Bettina found
that in countries where there are a lot of women in middle to
upper management, the whole work culture has changed as a result
- in China, work dinners happen earlier, so that people can go
home earlier. Women are powerful role models in their own
families as well - women who were raised by working mothers have
their role model from early childhood on. It is important that
each woman finds her own paths and once decided, they should not
feel guilty.




Speaker: Dr. Bettina Al-Sadik Lowinski - Author, Speaker,
International Executive Coach (MCC), Founder of global Women
Career Lab


Interviewer: Dr. Ricarda Engelmeier - Founder @MyCollective


Music: sponsored by @Michaelkadelbach


Picture: Bettina Al-Sadik-Lowinski


Graphic & Production: MyCollective