Women are in a perfect place to respond to the needs of the current business world
Petra Herz –“Women are in a perfect place to respond to the needs of the current business world”
By Allmanz Reinz
Petra Herz is an Author, International Speaker, Architect, Feng Shui Master. As a Holistic Mentor she is asked again and again for tips for more life energy, success in business, manifestation & intuition. Today she shows her clients particularly effective methods for the fast transformation of negative challenges to get more quality of life and success.
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Can you tell us more about your early life and your first steps in business?
“I believe the meaning of life is not to be a successful person, but a valuable one.” This pearl of life wisdom comes from Albert Einstein, who was born, just like me, in Ulm, Germany. Both my parents and grandparents were in World War II and taught me the values of peace, equality and justice. They had resisted the Nazis and been particularly active supporting (and hiding) minorities. This fighting spirit and desire to contribute to a better world, were passed on to me from birth.
At the age of fourteen, during a summer job at a factory, I was shocked at how employees were considered as mere machines, and this led me to think from an early age on the topics of leadership, motivation and personal development. As an architect, I was able to gain vast management experience as a public authority, in medium-sized, large, and international companies such as Sunrise Senior Living. My profession enabled me to be alternative and create buildings that were new concepts, at the service of society.
What motivated you to get involved in being inspirational for change?
Annoyance is what motivated me to inspire change. Annoyance at managers sandwiched between demands from the top that do not meet the performance of the employees below and annoyance at the restructuring frenzy. Of course, a company must pursue development, but real change takes place slowly, as in nature. I have the impression that some companies confuse progress with activity. They just want to do as much as possible, but it is not thought through and does not come from inner calm and reflection. I believed something else was needed.
What leadership style do you use?
I would describe my leadership style as spiritual, leading from a place of spiritual values and by example, relentlessly developing qualities to support my task. For me, it is about self-encounter. Who am I?
A company can want to create an atmosphere of trust among its employees – but if the boss doesn’t fully know himself and ignores his less positive traits, he will not be trusted. That is why it is important for me to truly know myself. This is what the Buddha has taught us for thousands of years. He who leads should pay attention to his own soul, his feelings and his body. For the Buddha, leading means serving, and serving means enticing life out of people. This is what I too endorse in my style of leadership.
In your opinion, what is happening on a global scale with women in business and what does the future hold for women?
I believe women are in a perfect place to respond to the needs of the current business world. Women are as able as men to rationally examine facts, figures and data, but add to it intuitive procedures and heart-led decisions which are needed. Intuition is much more than just pure gut feeling. It is the unbound competence to combine experienced things into new arrangements or to recognize old or new patterns in unexpected contexts, in a subtle way.
Men and women are neither better nor worse – just different! Courage to lead – even oneself – is always needed, regardless of gender! Women however are more naturally able at questioning themselves, enabling them to change and adapt and seek to involve all, bringing out the best in people and communicating meaningfulness in their actions. I believe the future is bright for women willing to shine in business today and that society needs them.
Petra is a contributor for the Global Woman Book Project :THE FEMALE LEADERS OF TOMORROW -“A guide on how to become a successful leader”
If you want to know what steps to take to become a successful leader, the book is available in Amazon.
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