CEO's PERSPECTIVE
Simone Martin Sulgan
Vice President and General Manager, Trinidad & Tobago | Cable & Wireless Communications
LINKAGE Q1 (2025) - ACCELERATE ACTION
STOP LIMITING YOURSELF
Women Keep Creating Barriers That Are Stifling Our Progress
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
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Sheryl Sandberg
I certainly don’t think there is anything exceptional or remarkable about my leadership story or journey. Fortunately, I haven’t had to endure or overcome any great personal hardship or struggle. However, like most others in roles like mine I too have had to navigate the restrictive organisational biases that existed within the male-dominated telecommunications industry. All the same, I do appreciate the significance of the office that I hold and the great responsibility that comes with it. I have a voice and have been given a platform to use that voice to share my story and perspective.
Luckily, I’ve had the pleasure of working across the Caribbean and been able to create my own leadership style, influenced by the many powerful women and men I worked under. It is almost inconceivable to think it was only fifty-three years ago that Katharine Graham became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, the Washington Post–the first woman to effectively ‘break the glass ceiling’. Since then, we’ve been part of a true movement to assume more leadership positions in the corporate world. We were asked to ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg of Meta Platforms, a clarion call to take more risks, be more assertive and pursue our ambitions while also soliciting male allyship. Procter & Gamble’s Gill Whitty-Collins revealed to us ‘Why Men Win at Work’ a deeper look at the unconscious societal, cultural and psychological factors that work against us and our quest for more inclusive leadership and representation.
What #Acceler
ateAction means for me
We have certainly evolved in our journey and thinking as we continue to look at ways to promote gender equality in the workplace. From #BreakTheBias to #InspireInclusion we keep pressing forward building on the learnings and insights gleaned from the previous year. #AccelerateAction, this year’s rally cry from International Women’s Day, resonated a bit differently for me. I saw this invitation as an opportunity to reflect on the fact that we women are in fact also limiting ourselves and creating barriers that are stifling our progress. While we’ve taken our seat at the table, in what can be considered an act of self-sabotage we still task ourselves with some very unrealistic goals and expectations around the way we lead and act.
Many of us fall into the trap of thinking that an effective or good leader must possess the typically male stereotypical characteristics and behavioural traits. In doing this we forego what comes to us naturally. We’re often in constant conflict with ourselves because we think leading with our feminine perspective and leading with empathy, collaboration and trust is a liability instead of regarding it as a strength or an asset.
A
nother major asset for us is our ability and willingness to be vulnerable. This vulnerability can manifest itself in several ways. It can help us identify and articulate how we’re feeling, allowing us to uncover insights into our personal values and principles. Vulnerability is also being secure, humble and confident enough to admit when we don’t have all the answers. This notion of a leader needing to have all the answers is not only dated, but it also limits our ability to continuously learn and evolve. If ever we find ourselves as leaders being the smartest one in the room, we need to change rooms.
Work-life balance
One of the most common internal struggles is our relentless pursuit of work–life balance. Our focus needs to shift to managing priorities. Regardless of what leadership table we sit on, life happens to us and everyone around us. We should be acutely aware that our level of productivity and focus is directly tied to whatever is happening in our personal lives. Time is a currency, and we should be mindful that once we spend it, we can never get back, so we need to spend it wisely.
We fear failure! We are our harshest critics and are so incredibly hard on ourselves for not always getting it right. We should embrace failure, and when we do, do it fast and see it as an opportunity to learn. In doing this we should also become willing practitioners of self-compassion and self-care as we evolve into our role as leader, mentor and role model.
I once had a coach guide me saying "Be mindful of the shadow that you cast”, which simply meant, be cognizant of the way your actions and behaviours are being received and interpreted by those watching. We have truly benefitted from those who have come before us and made advancements in our quest for diversity and gender equality. However, we should be aware that we are being keenly observed by those looking up to us for both guidance and inspiration.
So, I encourage fellow women leaders: let’s talk more about how we ourselves take control, ownership and accountability of getting to the next step of our journey.