LAST week, I shared my view on the richer meaning of female leadership. This week, to cap off Women’s Month, I thought it would be good to feature an actual “womanspiration” in today’s post-pandemic and digital world.
Kristine Tang is a wife and mom to two young kids. She has over 15 years of experience at Procter & Gamble in marketing and various multi-functional business management roles, and is currently the vice president for brand operations and commercial leader for Fabric and Home Care.
According to Kristine, “I have clear non-negotiable periods where I don’t let work interrupt what I am doing and I have clear flexible periods. It is important also to note that as a mom of two young kids (6 and 2), it is easier for me to switch off. The kids force me to. They are always excited to spend time and do activities together after a day of remote-learning for them and remote work for me. Once the kids ask me to read them books, play with them or tuck them in bed, they have to be 100 percent of the focus. My eldest is now at that age where he calls me out if I hold my phone during our quality time. I also make it a point to have downtime with my husband before bedtime. He and I talk about our day (even though we are now together 24/7) just to share funny stories or unpack some of the challenges we encountered. Talking to each other helps us to unwind, plan and generally make each other feel better.”
She also shared that the norms of when she was growing up are very different from what she is exposed to today. She credits her exposure to women empowerment primarily from P&G where from Day 1, she saw female leaders who were outspoken about their points of view, and who did not hesitate to voice out and ask for what they wanted.
I was interested to know her views on women empowerment in today’s digital and post-pandemic world. She says, “Women empowerment in today’s digital and post-pandemic world is recognizing and deliberately addressing the reality of how the pandemic has set back many years of progress in opening up opportunities for women to work, get ahead and drive their agendas. We have to recognize that many industries lost female talents who either had to take time off to take care of family and kids staying at home, or elders whose movements were limited during the pandemic. We need to be able to offer flexible work arrangements that would allow these talents to balance the demands of work and home. We also need to encourage and build a culture of being output-driven rather than being activity-driven which champions results and efficiency that will serve well these talents who juggle multiple roles and commitments.”
Her inspriation is Indra Nooyi.
Nooyi is PepsiCo’s former chair who spent 24 years with the company. Kristine shares, “One thing that stuck with me was her candid declaration many years ago that she doesn’t think women can have it all—this was particularly timely during that point when appearing as though women could have it all was seen as the standard of success. She was emphatic that everyday and many times during the day, she had to make small choices whether she was going to be a wife or a mother or a business leader. She realized she had to create a community who could fill in for her when she could not do these roles by herself. And doing that meant she also had to live with the guilt and build her own set of coping mechanisms to deal with that guilt.”
I love how Kristine and her husband model gender equality and inclusiveness to their two young kids. She shares, “My husband and I have a truly equal partnership. From Day 1, he did not expect me to do the traditional roles typically assigned to women. Our roles and responsibilities have always been based on who has the better skill set for it, and who has the capacity to own the responsibility. My husband is better at managing the home—he does the grocery, the bills, the repairs and the finances. I am better at handling the kids’ schedules: arranging their doctors’ appointments, preparing their school work and planning birthdays/events. My husband also had to take over from me multiple times during instances when work took me away and vice versa.” She adds, “Women [and men] cannot have it all, all the time. Be deliberate in articulating what matters to you most during a particular phase in your life and career and follow through. Learn to let go and build a system or network of support that will allow you to let go.”
I want to leave you with her words, when asked about being a woman of high position and her advise to women today on how to continuously empower oneself at home, work and her environment. She says, “I am a believer of work-life integration and molding my work priorities to my life priorities…. On a personal note, be kind to yourself—you cannot have it all, all the time. Invest time in creating a coping system that will allow you to not do everything by yourself.”