Profile – Thembeka Maseko – Women have no business sabotaging each other

Thembeka Maseko CA(SA) recoils through the glass ceiling. At this instant she’s almost six minutes into a quote about headwinds faced by women in the workplace.

‘Globally, we’ve come a long way in terms of being inclusive and opening doors for women,’ she says. ‘It’s a journey. Some organisations have made great strides in providing equal opportunities to women. A good example of this is our very own Nonkululeko Nyembezi, who has recently been appointed Standard Bank’s first black female chairman. Unfortunately, though, there are still pockets of organisations that have opted to be completely oblivious to gender parity.

‘While there have been great strides, unfortunately women are still under-represented in senior leadership positions,’ says Thembeka.

A 2022 McKinsey report notes that, for years, fewer women have risen through the ranks because of the ‘broken rung’ (broken step on the corporate ladder, which becomes an obstacle that women face when trying to succeed in the corporate world) at the first step up to management.

According to the report, women leaders are as likely as men at their level to want to be promoted and aspire to senior-level roles. In many companies, however, they experience micro-aggressions that undermine their authority and signal that it will be harder for them to advance. For example, they are far more likely than men in leadership to have colleagues imply that they aren’t qualified for their jobs. Furthermore, women leaders are twice as likely as men leaders to be mistaken for someone more junior.

Thembeka shares these sentiments: ‘What frustrates me is the fact that as a woman, people assume that you cannot make tough decisions; they think that we are emotional, we want a balanced life, as well as being a mother, a wife, etc, with no consideration for the fact that every human being has the same desires and challenges, regardless of gender.

‘The missed opportunity for many corporates is the inability to realise that our superpower is the ability to multitask, which enables us to work more efficiently. In fact, all these stereotypes propel a lot of women to work harder than their male counterparts to prove that they are as smart, capable and as fully invested in their roles,’ she says.

‘Perhaps there are fewer preconceived ideas about men, as it is often assumed that they are well placed to succeed in leadership roles; and this has led us as women to be more inclined to the Imposter Syndrome,’ she continues. ‘It is not that males don’t experience emotional stress and anxiety before they actually get into say a boardroom and present, the situation is just exacerbated for women because of the many factors that we need to banish. Credit must be given to some of our male colleagues who are aware of this and have gone out of their way to be more supportive to women. I count myself very fortunate for having a few of those in my personal and professional life throughout my journey.’

When asked about how women should deal with sabotage and competition from other women, the mother of two had this to say: ‘There’s a point to be made about women working against each other. I think there’s a lot of work that we need to do and the significant one is actually the fact that as women we need to start playing a critical role in building each other up. It’s fine to compete with each other − competition is healthy for everyone but then let’s also celebrate each other’s success and be willing to invest in each other.

‘By sabotaging other women for our own benefit, we do not only harm the individual’s career, but we also become detrimental to the overall brand of female professionals, thus in the end actually committing self-sabotage.”

Having heard all of this, I then asked her how women should navigate the unavoidable self-sabotage trap. In her usual calm and collected demeanour, she had the following to say: ’Understand your purpose, your passion and what makes you unique as an individual. If you are secure in your identity, and you understand your contribution to society as a difference maker, then your journey is not just about you getting the next promotion or being the super star at all costs. You are not threatened by other people’s success, but instead you are focused on your own journey and the role other successful women can play in your growth and development. For me, the strongest driving force is my passion for helping people and having a positive impact on society.’

Thembeka is a highly accomplished executive with over 14 years of financial services experience. In her current role, she is the Group CFO for the retail segment at Standard Bank − a business unit that looks after the bank’s retail operations across 15 countries in Africa. By all accounts, she’s had a remarkable career and those who’ve crossed her path have remarked about her strong work ethic and selfless nature.

Thembeka launched her career at KPMG, where she started her professional career as an audit article clerk. She then explored tax consulting at EY, after which she ventured into the financial services sector as a young professional and ascended through the ranks to becoming a C-Suite executive. She has held various executive roles at Nedbank and FirstRand prior to joining the Standard Bank Group.

All things considered, she’s had a terrific career and she knows by experience and observation what many female professionals are up against today.

Her advice to aspiring female difference makers is to find the balance between being competitive and allowing the virtue of patience to build breadth, but more importantly, depth of knowledge and experience.

‘While females are required to be fiercely competitive in male-dominated industries, this does not mean we must not embrace our femininity. In fact, our femininity is the competitive edge that makes us stand out. Always be present, listen attentively so that when you speak, your arguments are backed by facts connecting dots, bring relevant insights and wisdom, and simultaneously empower yourself and those around you. Do all this whilst always remaining true to your female identity.’

Author
Mpho Tshikhudo