The programme was facilitated and presented by the Managing Director of Heartlinc, Shirleen Titus.
Omnipark believes in empowerment from within and through their commitment to training and development has been awarded a Level 1 BBBEE status for 7 consecutive years. “As corporate sponsor for this event, we are proud to be associated with WPN in offering this programme to the WPN Western Cape region”, says Colin Morris, Director of Omnipark and Omnigate.
“Business trading conditions have become increasingly challenging. Innovative approach to business is required as implementing traditional business practices are not guaranteed to produce results”, says Athalea Minnaar, Regional Chair of Women’s Property Network.
The business environment today is also very different compared to earlier years. Professional women are increasingly attaining more senior positions within business and are no longer confined to traditional roles, but there has been an increase in the participation of women in roles that have been previously male dominated. The evolution in the role of women in the work place has resulted in the change in family structures, which has resulted in an increase in dual income families. Inevitably women have increased their responsibilities within the home front and workplace and strong coping mechanisms are required to deal with the increasing pressures professional women experience today.
One of the key areas that the programme covered was the dynamics of decision making in uncertainty and risk. “In order to incorporate into one’s life and career the critical aspect of a sustainable future, individuals and groups need to make different decisions. In the behavioural and economic sciences the debate needs to move from “talk” to action and “ownership”. This will change the people dynamics and specifically how they relate to each in reciprocal world of work where major decisions are best made through managing your own biases and leveraging the ‘wisdom of crowds’ “, says Shirleen Titus, Managing Director of Heartlinc.
Participants discussed the uniqueness of women in business and the different leadership styles employed, which includes a combination of people orientated leadership and task orientation leadership.” Women’s Property Network is committed to the advancement of women within the commercial property industry and it is within this context that the grounded leadership programme strengthens the objectives of WPN within the Western Cape region”, says Athalea Minnaar.
Women’s Property Network was re-launched ten years ago and is a forum for professional women in the South African Commercial Property Industry to exchange information, develop business contacts and enhance professional success. As a respected organisation in the commercial property industry, WPN is dedicated to supporting women in commercial property with corporate initiatives that includes the WPN Education Trust, where bursaries are awarded to previously disadvantaged students who wish to complete a tertiary education within property, as well as the WPN Mentorship Programme. WPN have chapters in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town with membership base in excess of professional women 400 nationally.
