Empathy of women is the key to building social capital. Monika Chajęcka President of Welcomefinance.pl
What is the reason for the lack of promotions of women to top positions ?
I think the word courage and inner strength is the key to women’s success in terms of promotion to senior positions. Many women are afraid of taking risks, so they choose ‘safe’ and secondary roles in business.
I would also add stereotypes and the habit that it is men who hold high positions and need to earn more money. The characterisation of women as less available which of course is wrong. Women are overlooked because some people think that it is not worth investing in a woman who may not be available due to pregnancy or other gender-related ailments.
Do female businesses find it more difficult than male businesses to obtain funding from investors?
Here, maybe I wouldn’t quite divide by gender, but in my experience there is something to it. More funding means more risk, more commitment, more responsibility and more challenges.
I think women in business are more preventative and less risky than men, who sometimes act more courageously than women and are willing to take more business risks.
In terms of the number of applications and enquiries made in relation to obtaining funding, men definitely dominate here. However, I definitely believe that women’s professional competence in many cases does not differ from that of men.
It is considered in business that it will be “easier” for a man to communicate in business matters with another man, who will be the one in a higher position.
Why are women twice as likely as men to launch start-ups?
The fact that women earn less than men is already known.
It means that the scarcity of women in start-ups is mainly due to access to capital. According to the report ‘Funding in the CEE region- through the lens of gender diversity and impact’, female start-ups in the CEE region raised only 1 per cent of the venture capital funds that went to start-ups, 5 per cent of the funds went to mixed teams and as much as 96 per cent to men. The main reason for this situation in my opinion is the lack of access to real estate, capital or adequate collateral. Women generally need the support of the other party to spread their wings. There is also a positive side to the inequality, namely that statistical studies show that start-ups managed by women yield higher returns than those managed by men.
Is there a wage gap and if so where is it most visible?
Striving for equal pay opportunities between men and women is one of the main objectives of sustainable development. Much has already been achieved in this direction, but statistically there is still much to be done. When setting pay rates, factors such as education, age, number of hours worked and type of work are not always taken into account.
We can see the gender gap above all in the significant difference in average earnings per gross hour between women and men. The average wage gap in the EU in 2020, was as high as 13%.
Is there still a stereotypical, conservative gender division of roles?
Various cultural, social, historical conditions and certain stereotypes have influenced the
Yes , in our country it is very much seen that the woman for many people more or less should stay at home, not work raise and give birth to children, and the man go to work and earn money. This is the most common stereotype among others. Times have changed and a woman has the right to choose how her life will look like whether she wants to go to work, open a business or raise children. However, this should be a woman’s decision and not a society that tries to impose its will on others. It should also be added that not every woman is destined for a career and not every woman finds her match. You also need a bit of luck in life.
What is your approach to quotas ? Do they help women or are they simply not needed?
The a priori principle, is in line with my values. I always try to act ethically and take care of the right proportions in terms of gender, race, ethnicity. I can stand up for the weak and help, it’s my nature, I think it’s feminine.
A quota is certainly an idea, a step in the right direction, but not a very good one. In my opinion, quotas can make women uncomfortable, because in order for them to be more present in high positions, there has to be a law that enforces this. I personally wouldn’t want to be in a team where I have to, where they look at me differently, where I probably won’t be able to say anything, where I’m in a team because the law says so and not because I deserve it because I’m competent. Every woman should answer for herself what parities she has in her life and what values she would like to follow.
If it is up to him to decide on a promotion, will a man bet more on a man because he thinks it will be easier to get along with him than with a woman?
In the context of this situation, I would say that so-called male solidarity often counts. There are definitely more men in key and managerial positions than women. Although I must say that we are living in a time of great change, where, before our very eyes, women are the drivers and beneficiaries of all kinds of change, from changes in morals, economics, politics, education. More and more women are obtaining higher education, but not every woman wants to choose the path of advancement and is giving this role to men.
Are women too shy to compete for top positions? Perhaps they do not realise their professionalism?
It so happens that women are not so effusive in externalising their ambitions, competences and are actually shy. Here, with promotions to higher positions, there is a so-called change of identity, i.e. the woman has to put on the so-called “men’s shoes” and make men’s decisions, and this always has an impact on her evaluation by ordinary people. Sometimes it is hard for us to understand that motherhood is one of the paths of choice for a woman’s self-realisation. I personally believe that if a woman is good at what she does and has the aptitude and knowledge to do it, she should not hide her talents, but move on.
How do women create social capital in their careers, how do they use their networks? Do they care less about them than men?
Unfortunately, yes, most women are afraid to compete with a man because they subconsciously know that he is the one more likely to be promoted and so they give up and discourage it. . Thus they don’t give themselves a chance to advance because they don’t even try. In my opinion, a woman needs to be confident in order to achieve a lot in a business where she will have to compete more than once with others mainly it can be with men for various business issues.
In my opinion, women create more social capital in business, women care more about building good relationships with contractors or employees, they also care about the atmosphere, etc.
I think that for every woman, whether businesswoman or housewife, atmosphere is important. Good relationships and proper communication with people is the key to success. The right attitude towards people, positive energy means that we attract good people to us, we not only build but also maintain existing good relations, which also influences the so-called social capital. Respect for co-workers, employees, contractors, is fundamental in any company. Nowadays, people are becoming the centre of attention and are important in terms of building positive social capital in business.
What qualities did you display during your school years, were you active in the local government , were you class president etc.?
I have very much enjoyed my training years. From a very young age I showed leadership qualities. I remember going to music school as a teenager and carrying a black folder for my sheet music notebooks and always being called Mrs Director by my peers. I stood out in the group. Learning always came quickly to me and I enjoyed learning. I believe that there is never enough knowledge and in this day and age it is important to develop and be a lifelong learner. I was actually the chairperson of my high school class a few times and I remember having more red stripe certificates than regular certificates. I also made an effort to participate in extracurricular activities, which also made me stand out. Even though I was a shy girl, I tried to overcome my weaknesses and work on my courage. I spent my childhood years in two schools. I was always accompanied by music and the music school was my second home. I still have a bit of an artistic soul in me and beauty is always close to me. I believe that if we are beautiful internally then our enthusiasm and commitment shows and it emanates from us externally.
Are women open to new technologies and how do they cope with them?
We all see that the world is changing and that, in a way, we have to adapt to new technologies. Technology has so far been considered a ‘man’s kingdom’, but recently there have been more and more women in this industry who are doing very well. All the indications are that the percentage of women in new technologies will grow faster. Women are not afraid to take up jobs where men used to dominate, showing that they are not restricted by gender and can work wherever they want.
Does it work in women’s favour that the most important qualities of a good leader, i.e. empathy, understanding, a pro-social outlook on the organisation, are qualities attributed to women?
Yes, the main qualities of a leader are empathy and understanding of his employees, which improves relations with them and the atmosphere at work, and this behaviour is mainly observed in women. But with men it is different, in my opinion, and for them it is more about the quantity and efficiency of the work than the atmosphere itself, which is sometimes more effective. In my opinion, a CEO is a person and a CEO is a person, so it is worth paying attention to elements such as empathy and understanding, because in life we have only one face and one life. Fashions, markets, business trends change and we remain ourselves then. I believe that it is always worthwhile to nurture good business and interpersonal relationships, as certain contacts stay for years to come. A pro-social view of people is very important today in building your position in the market.
Who are good at analytics or finance but lack emotional intelligence. Does the future of leadership therefore belong to women?
The research will prove that professional people with a high level of intelligence are not always spectacularly successful as leaders. In addition to factual knowledge and knowledge of the craft, emotional intelligence also counts. Social competence, empathy, the ability to interact with other people, good communication with people combined with appropriate self-presentation, turns out to be an art. Successful people and leaders are those who have that something, are great speakers, can pull crowds behind them, support, motivate and inspire. Emotional intelligence is one of the markers of successful people. As a rule, women have more empathy within themselves, and men can learn from us.
Monika Chajęcka, born on 13 May 1980 in Oleśnica. She graduated from the Higher School of Management and Finance in Wrocław at the Faculty of Finance and Banking in the field of Corporate Finance Management. She has completed numerous courses and trainings and is constantly learning and improving her skills and qualifications. She completed postgraduate studies in: Property Valuation at the Wroclaw School of Banking, obtained a certificate in “Application of exel in property valuation”. She has obtained a professional licence in the area of real estate agency No. 20223, obtaining the title of real estate agent.
Courses and trainings attended, among others: “Build your personal brand”, HR Forge 2 – Financial analysis of a company, “Modern sales techniques”, “Professional Manager in e-business”, “Organising and running your own business”.
Additionally, I am interested in empathy, business motivation and supporting colleagues and businesswomen. I have completed a training in human resources management entitled. “A good company means a good staff”, “Human resources development as a way to adapt the qualifications of micro-enterprises and employees of the SME sector to the requirements of a knowledge-based economy”. She is currently graduating from Collegium Humanum with a degree in management.
Numerous courses on the development and writing of EU applications, including the course ‘European Union Funds Advisor’. Obtained a certificate entitled: “How to acquire media to promote your own image and that of your company”.
As part of the diversification of her activities, she is interested in production thresholds within her company MC Sweet Sp. z o.o. She completed a training course at WSB in Wrocław on the topic: “Why production management is not easy”, “The power of information with Business Intelligence”, “Creativity – it can be learned”, “From satisfaction surveys to experience surveys”, “How to shape leadership competences”, “Passion, Work and Desires – how to guarantee satisfaction in professional development”.
Interests: literature, art, diplomacy, motivation, good film. I like a good book and good music, including classical music. I graduated from the First Grade Music School in Oleśnica and attended the Second Grade Music School in Wrocław.
I know German and English and speak them communicatively.
Monika Chajęcka is a thriving entrepreneur: President of Welcomefinance.pl Sp. z o.o. (www.welcomefinance.pl), President of MC Sweet Sp. z o.o., a company distributing sweet advertising gadgets (www.slodkiegadzety.pl)
Last Updated on April 3, 2023 by Anastazja Lach