Colorful Minds: Interview with Martina Rosenow

Martina Rosenow: What I really like about my management position is the freedom I have in shaping business and in decision making, in supporting my employees and their growth, as well as my interactions with customers and partners. Respect and trust in my interactions with my superiors, colleagues and employees is essential for me and plays a huge role in what motivates me. Within that context, supporting my female colleagues is very important to me, it is always great to see how much potential we have in the company.

Martina: Throughout my career, I have experienced different management personalities and management styles. When I became a manager, I personally decided to stay authentic and true to myself and accepting the fact that I would make mistakes and have shortcomings. In fact, I often see women change their demeanor. They often think they have to be edgy to be accepted as a manager by their employees and colleagues. That could be an indication that prejudices or expectations still exist in certain work environments about how women work and their management style. However, it is encouraging to see that more and more women are trusting themselves to find their own management style, using authenticity and self-acceptance as strengths. This development contributes to the diversity and efficacy of management teams and creates an inclusive work culture.

That being said, I do not think there is a fundamental difference in how men manage; some men have excellent soft skills, maybe not very many, but they exist.

Martina:In order to staff more management positions with women, I think we need to change how we understand leadership. There is still a predominant opinion that a good manager has to be available at all times and work at least 60 hours a week. That is hard to combine with a healthy family life, which is why women in particular tend to shy away from making the move.

To do away with that perception, we not only need sound role models who demonstrate that management and an acceptable work-life balance can be combined, but also work environments and company cultures that make it possible.