As Senior Mergers and Acquisitions Director in the Delivering Deal Value team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wenche Mittet has earned herself a naturally high profile in consulting and among clients such as Shell, Makro, and ICI. It's a profile built over a 16 year career that has included posts as a director at turnaround and restructuring firm AlixPartners, and positions at business services companies Accenture and Ernst & Young. Here she talks about how raising your profile is key to career progression.
1. WHEN, IN YOUR CAREER, DID YOU REALISE YOU NEEDED TO SPEAK UP AND RAISE YOUR PROFILE?
It was when I was up for promotion to senior manager at Accenture. I failed to get it and people explained that they did not realise that I wanted it – I had not made it clear to the senior partner on the account. Like a lot of women I just assumed that if I did my job well, I'd get promoted. Fortunately someone told me how to go about it.
2. WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
I started setting up formal meetings with senior partners to explain what I wanted, and asked one of them to speak up for me. I got promoted soon after. It helped that I started to come across as more senior in meetings. You have to act like a partner to become one.
3. WHY DO YOU THINK WOMEN AVOID THE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES AND THEIR ABILITIES?
I don't think it comes naturally to many women to promote themselves. I felt very uncomfortable when I first started. That’s why I asked a senior partner to speak up for me initially.
4. WHAT HAS SELF-PROMOTION ENABLED YOU TO ACHIEVE?
It has helped me build my career. Throughout your career you have to sell yourself in interviews. Once you know how, you can do it over and over again. In some organisations self-promotion is almost a formal system. That makes it easier for women because we can be taught how to do it. I wish I had learnt earlier.
5. HOW DO YOU LOBBY YOUR IDEAS?
I just speak to people who need to be aware of my idea and usually it gets done. I persuade clients to implement my ideas by sometimes letting them think they came up with them. Sometimes I give them several alternatives. I'd never recommend which they should choose but I make one appear the obvious choice. If they choose the wrong course I ask them to explain the pros and cons and usually they’ll change their minds.
6. HOW DO YOU BUILD YOUR ALLIANCES?
When working with clients I select the people who I can see will be key to the change process and build good relationships with them, so if I have to take a tough decision those people will support me. To build the alliance you get them to understand the benefit to themselves, but it cannot be done explicitly. Instead you try to understand what they are striving to achieve, and then let them work out for themselves that you can help them do that, so they naturally see the benefit of an alliance with you.
7. CAN YOU SHARE AN EXAMPLE OR EXAMPLES OF WHEN YOUR ALLIANCES HAVE HELPED YOU SECURE OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES?
I got a job through an alliance in another company. Good networking builds alliances in many organisations.
8. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF ABOUT RAISING YOUR PROFILE?
Start as early as possible. If you feel uncomfortable doing it find someone you trust to help raise your profile for you – then later pass on the favour by doing that for someone else. Get in touch with everyone in your network at least once or twice at year – it raises your profile in the market but also shows where there is a gap in your network so you can see areas where you have to increase your networking activity.
