International Women’s Day series: Q&A with Lisa Jansen
Name: Lisa Jansen
Position: Director – Retail management
1. Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?
Yes, many. I believe through learned experiences and understanding my own worth I have been able to push through these barriers and able to stand up for what I believe in and what is aligned with my own values and beliefs. It is about learning to be more confident in oneself and one’s capabilities. Trusting your judgement and not comparing it with how other are doing it. As a woman I feel sometimes we have more empathy towards dealing with certain situations. We have good instincts and I had to learn to trust that. I also have to say that I’ve been lucky enough to have some good mentors- both male and female – who have guided me through dealing with these barriers
2. Who do you look up/ admire (personal life or public figure) and why?
I personally think my mum has played a huge role in shaping me into the woman I am today – she has taught me to be very independent, to believe in myself and always pushed me to dream bigger.
I personally am a huge fan of Elon Musk- constantly innovating and being ahead of the trend. I love his passion and dedication and never being afraid to challenge himself.
3. What are you most proud of doing or achieving in your personal or professional life?
I always love to give back and I’ve mentored a number of people who have achieved a lot in their careers. I love seeing how their people are thriving in their jobs and becoming great future leaders. I am also blessed with 2 beautiful twin girls who I raise to be very independent (maybe sometimes a bit too opinionated), kind-hearted individuals who stand up for themselves and others and who is never afraid to speak out against unjustness and unfairness and I will always support them in whatever they want to do or become one day.
4. What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
Probably 2 pieces of advice that really changed my life. One was about 2-3 years ago when someone who told me to believe in myself and that I am a good operator and work harder then any man/woman they’ve ever came across- this really made me realised that I need to forget about being a female and overcome the stigma I felt against being a women in the work place and just see myself and a hard working achievement driven individual in the workplace- it really broke a lot of barriers and personal barriers down for me.
The other one was more recently from a very dear friend who told me that I should stop apologise for demanding greatness – it was a light bulb moment, and it was especially heartfelt as it came from a very dear male friend and ex- colleague. I love having male champions of change in my life
5. Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important?
Joining Cygnet West was probably the best decision I’ve made in my career as a woman. I absolutely love how diverse our team is. I feel it bring a lot of different perspectives to resolve problems, deal with our clients and tenants – able to speak different languages and understanding different cultures/handling of different situations – it takes away the focus of gender in the workplace… and just let us focus on being colleagues who want to achieve our best ever day
6. What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?
Probably to believe in yourself even if no- one else does. Hold your values and beliefs close (and don’t’ do anything you might regret as a future leader) and never let anyone put you down and surround yourself with friends and mentors that support you.
7. How can we encourage more women to pursue entrepreneurship or senior leadership roles in their career?
Making it easier for women in the workplace. Giving them career growth opportunities and also understanding that we still have other roles to fulfil as mothers and partners and children of our elderly parents – providing flexible working arrangements, improved and flexible maternity leave arrangements -i.e. letting women on maternity leave come in a few days during their time away “as keep in touch days” that is paid for so they don’t feel alienated when they do return to work. Providing excellent mentoring programs and connecting younger female staff with senior female leaders outside our industry as well as this can teach them, other skills. (i.e. women in mining)
8. What did you dream of doing when you were a child?
I wanted to be a lawyer. I still love law (probably more criminal law and forensics) However I love to troubleshoot things and constantly look for ways to improve a processes or a systems.
