Introduction
Mira Vasic holds a PhD in Structural Engineering and she is an expert on female leadership and gender diversity, working as a Sr. Partner at InTouch Female Leadership & Career Academy.
coaching career after an engineering Career
I started my career as an engineer specialized in helping historical buildings to stand safe. I have always had a passion for career coaching, and I was helping women in getting the job they deserve and getting properly paid for that as well. After getting my PhD in Structural engineering and working for many years in commercial, non-profit, and governmental sector, I realized a big bold truth: Even when the number of girls and boys is equal during their study period, the moment you start looking higher in the corporate and/or academic ladder, there are much less women than men. Yes, that is still the case! Much less women than men.
Therefore, during the Covid-19 pandemics, I decided to leave my corporate job to actively help women to get more influence on their own careers and on the world. I have a special focus on women with a migration background. These women are even more excluded. But in general, I help individuals to get the job they desire, to get promoted to decision making roles and to retain their position.
A better world with powerful women
With all my heart, I believe that the world would be a better place for everyone if women would, for instance, lead more negotiation processes, create national policies and corporate strategies, or decide on research grants. Same goes for the energy transition.
Be loud
Let me illustrate it with a real example, with a hypothetical name of course.
Jenifer is a brilliant scientist and professor. She works hard and stays modest about her achievements. She never actually said to anyone that she would like to get a promotion. She gets frustrated when a male colleague of hers is promoted and not her. This is a typical error that we often make: we think if we do our best and have good results, everyone assumes that you want to get promoted! But this is not always the case.
Firstly, be clear about your ambition and say that you want to get promoted. And secondly, celebrate your achievements and successes, so everyone knows how good you are and what problems you are solving for them.
A change in various pillars
The politics in business are set to fit masculine features, which do not naturally fit most of the women. The unwritten rules in business were unconsciously set by founders of organizations, in most cases – men. Most of the people associate leadership with masculine features, so female leaders are often evaluated more negatively even when their performance is higher than that of their male counterparts.
This happens due to the unconscious gender bias that we all have and is often no one’s fault. We should all become aware of gender bias which we all have and work constantly towards a more inclusive society. We cannot reach gender equality overnight. It is a long journey and we should begin with cultural change.
We need organizational, institutional, and societal change. It is good to encourage women to pursue a career in STEM, but if they will soon in their career run into unwritten masculine rules or unconscious gender bias, then that is an unfair start for the leadership sprint.
The niche of female empowerment and energy transition
This community of female energy professionals brings the spotlight on female professionals in this field. I am always looking forward to expanding my network and exchanging opinions on topics of gender diversity and female leadership.
I met the founder of 75inQ, Anouk Creusen, and joined this community. The way she empowers women, the way she puts spotlight on this niche – it is brilliant! I am ready to help her in this mission, both on an individual and organizational scale.
I am looking forward to connecting to our community members and providing them with career support.