Events and Exhibitions many opportunities , and all around the world . She also touched on the WorldSkills competition and her involvement in this event .
The challenge for women in the local HVACR industry , she says , is that even though you can do everything a man can , you will continually need to prove yourself , no matter how good you are . This is because of the perceived mindset that needs to change in the industry . Women cannot work for years before they are recognised and unfortunately a lot of women don ’ t know how to stand up for themselves because it is not something that they have been taught . There is also the mindset that men need to feel sorry for women , which needs to change .
CAROL PAULSEN INSPIRES Carol Paulsen – a senior sales representative at Envirochem , delivered an energetic message to the group of ladies .
“ I have always been in the technical industry , which is very male dominated , and where I had to learn to not be intimidated by anybody . It wasn ’ t easy because there is a level of punishment , and there ' s a level of sexism . There is also that level of “ Oh , ‘ what do you know ,” that you have to contend with .
“ Something that I ' ve embraced in my work career is to connect to people – build a relationship – and that might take a while because in the process you ' re going to try break down those prejudices .
“ Mala mentioned earlier the importance of professionalism . As enthusiastic up-and-coming ‘ sexy ’ women , you should never manipulate with your femininity because you will immediately lose respect . I echo her views on dress code and the way we present ourselves , because in a male-dominated environment , when you appear in your miniskirt , this already sets a precedent . You have to tone down your dress code and put on your figurative armour . You have to always present yourself with a professional attitude .
“ We also need to be mindful however that historically , in this country , oftentimes men never had to deal with a woman in business . Why ? Because in the culture sense , woman wanted to be cared for and looked after , they were always dependent . Today , the biggest challenge we are dealing with is mindset . So , as women we need to be one step ahead . We ' ve got to read the situation , understand , and use that to our advantage . And yes , it is draining , but you learn to become good at what you do and learn to navigate your space over time .
“ There also needs to be recognition that most men are non-emotional and logical , while most women are emotional and think and act from the heart . However , you have to always remember that there is no one in the professional environment that is going to come and scoop you up and solve all your problems . This is difficult to manage because not every woman has a strong personality .
The attendees of the women ’ s workshop were all inspired by participating in the engagement .
“ My personal passion is in prayer and I believe that I am an atmosphere changer . So , wherever you are , whatever your belief system is , we carry that wherever we go in whatever we do . Work is not just about doing the work . Work is about building those relationships , build your sphere , build your area of influence , and do it intentionally so that you ' re
actually an agent of change . “ One particular bit of advice I want to share is that if you can control your mind – and I do believe in positive thinking – if you take the thoughts that you are thinking and distil them … Perhaps you ' re feeling a bit down ? Catch it . Distil it . Internalise that thought . Consider what you are feeling ? Think about what it is connected to ? If you can connect to what you are feeling , and understand it , you can change it . So , you can go from a negative , maybe even feeling a bit anxious because the heart starts to beat faster because the person you are dealing with is a bit bossy or you perceive them as being a bit mean , you can ‘ minimise ’ the thought process , and change it to a positive – “ I ' m not going to feel bad ; I want to avoid that today .” … These are the little things that affect us every day . We have to recognise and learn to manage the fact that not everybody is nice . Not everybody is compassionate , not everybody is kind , and as an ‘ atmosphere changer ’, you will have the ability to change the negatives to positives .
“ Finally , we need to focus on old school values , honesty and integrity . Don ' t cheat , don ' t lie . I can promise you that those principles – when you put them out there – will pay you good dividends . You will reap a reward tomorrow .”
Rampal concluded the event by thanking all the attendees and speakers saying , “ We see a room full of future leaders . This was such an incredible opportunity , and for me this is exactly the community that we ' re talking about . Going forward , you just have to run with it . Let ' s continue to run with this project .” RACA
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I July 2021 13