Confidence, ambition ‘key to leadership roles’

Women need to be confident and ambitious in terms of assuming leadership roles at work, according to Jing Ulrich, managing director and vice-chairperson for Asia Pacific at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
“If you look at the CEOs and board directors across Asia, you will see the gender gap between male and female leaders remains very wide,” Ulrich told China Daily on the sidelines of the China Daily 2016 Asian Women Leadership Awards & Roundtable on Jan 19.
“However, I think Hong Kong is a more diverse society than many other Asian societies. While society and employers can provide support, the most important thing is that women must have the ambition and confidence to take on leadership roles themselves,” she said.
In terms of taking up leadership roles, women must also have the desire to do so, Ulrich said. If they have the ambition to be a CEO, let it be known. They need to speak up, be dedicated and work hard toward that goal, she said.
Ulrich urged women to pluck up the courage and confidence in themselves to face the next challenge. Of course, the external environment, society or employers can provide support, but first and foremost, women need to be self-confident.
“For me, personally, confidence is not something you are born with. It’s something that you gain from your experience and knowledge. I didn’t have that much confidence when I went to the US for college at a very young age, but through my education and work experience in the US and other international cities, I have built up my self-confidence over time.”
Ulrich pointed out that practice helps build up confidence, while you also have to be very competent, as confidence comes with competence. You have to know what you are doing and you have to be good at what you are doing, she said.
Ulrich believes that the general environment for professional women in Hong Kong has improved significantly, particularly in financial circles. She added that Hong Kong is comparatively more conducive for professional women to succeed and many women in the financial sector have successfully moved up the ranks to secure top positions in their companies.
A balanced lifestyle is crucial for a woman to succeed. “On a daily basis, life is about balancing and priorities, you need to have a balance between work and family, between work and leisure, between work and health,” she explained.
For women, one of the fundamentals for success is good health. Ulrich said she still finds time to run about 1.5 hours on a treadmill every night at home. She never wastes any time, so she reads and watches news programs when she runs.
Her advice to young women: Find something you love, be passionate about your work, but also remember there’s no short cut, you have to work very hard and don’t give up.
Source: http://www.chinadailyasia.com/2016-01/22/content_15376639.html