Influential Women; Brightwater Women in Leadership
08 Mar 2016
Estelle Davis
On a day as important as International Women’s Day, we recognise and appreciate the path that was carved out for us by fellow women. We also reflect on the responsibility that we have as women, for the path that we carve ahead for future generations.
I feel very fortunate to be in the role that I have here at the Brightwater Group surrounded by such fantastic women and men in an environment that demands you to be on top of your game, all the time. Gender isn’t a topic ever discussed here, woman versus man, man versus woman.
However, on a day as important as International Women’s Day, we recognise and appreciate the path that was carved out for us by fellow women. We also reflect on the responsibility that we have as women, for the path that we carve ahead for future generations.
Strong women are a force to be reckoned with and strength, resilience, attitude and aptitude is everything when it comes to success and nurturing talent amongst our female colleagues. I’m a great believer that if you build and lead a team around key core values such as fairness, transparency, drive, flexibility and damn hard work, then your own success and collective team success will flourish. A team that bolsters each other’s strengths and bridges each other’s gaps will be ever evolving and building, to stand still and get complacent is dangerous.
My parents both instilled 2 things in me from a very young age: “always treat others the way you would want to be treated” and always “lead by example”. I’ve lived and breathed this and it has served me well and I see a similar trait among my female peers.
As we all know, you don’t dream about success, you need to strive, work and live for it every day. When women coming through from school, university and beyond live by this truly, the dynamic of society, business and politics will improve more and more, with woman having an influencing voice that will be heard and the impact will be more and more.
Where any woman takes inspiration from is personal, for me, amongst so many influential women that are leading from the front, Mary Robinson stands out.
From another era before us a lady called Umeko Tsuda (1864-1929) who founded Japan’s first female university against all odds.. and finally, but most importantly, my mother.
One leaving quote for every woman to “check in” with whenever in momentary self-doubt – “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962)