At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the number of female staff in leadership and management positions is steadily increasing and accounts for a significant proportion (40% of leadership positions at all levels). These women are shouldering heavy responsibilities and contributing their efforts and dedication to various aspects of the University's activities. On International Women's Day, March 8th, let's listen to their honest sharing about the advantages and disadvantages, gains and losses, joys and sorrows, and valuable experiences they have gained in this work.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Hoa (Vice Rector): fortunate to always have the support of my family.
Being a woman in a managerial position inevitably presents many challenges. The roles of mother and wife are crucial, making the biggest difficulty the balancing of time and energy between family, work, and personal life. This is especially true in today's society, which places increasingly high demands on individuals, including women. To succeed in their careers, women must strive for excellence in their professional skills and many other areas, particularly in self-improvement. A managerial position requires a much broader network of relationships and interactions compared to a regular employee, encompassing superiors, subordinates, and colleagues. To gain recognition, a manager must possess both integrity and competence. Without integrity, competence alone will not win people's hearts. Having a good heart but lacking vision might earn you the respect of many, but it won't lead to successful work. The higher the leadership level, the more crucial it is to have vision. Being a manager means sacrificing attention for family, personal life, career, and hobbies, sometimes even emotional sacrifices due to unavoidable conflicts with colleagues and employees, even if they are temporary. It's inevitable to feel discouraged at times. Therefore, you must remain steadfast because those feelings will eventually pass. Regarding management experience and work methods, there's no single formula that applies to all situations. The important thing is to maintain principles while also being flexible. Always combine reason and emotion, although these two cannot always be perfectly balanced. Emotion alone will lead to chaos and inefficiency, while only reason will result in rigidity and dogmatism.
Women have advantages but also limitations compared to men in management. They may not necessarily be as insightful, strong, decisive, or strategic as men, but they are more patient, thorough, meticulous, and gentle, thus exhibiting a certain degree of restraint in their interactions. This is also suitable for the university environment, which needs sustainable development and emphasizes community cohesion. Does success in management bring happiness to oneself and one's family? I think so, if you are lucky enough to have a supportive husband who understands and shares your difficulties. Even globally, the success of famous female leaders is often backed by a wonderful husband. Personally, I am very fortunate to always receive support from my family, husband, and children. I can even exchange ideas, learn, and receive much advice on work from my spouse. Before being a good manager or leader, you must be a good lecturer with solid expertise. Success in management and professional work greatly benefits women in raising children and organizing family life. And especially, a mother who is successful at work will be a good role model for her children to follow.
Associate Professor Dr. Vu Thi Phung (Head of the Department of Archival Studies and Office Management): Women "benefit" a lot when in management positions.
For women in management positions, the "gains" and "losses" often go hand in hand. Many have already discussed the "losses." I'll just share more about the "gains." Although the position isn't the most important, it's a measure of one's competence and personal growth. Women gain pride and self-respect because they are trusted and highly valued by the team. In leadership and management roles, they have the opportunity to turn their ideas and initiatives into reality, contributing to the benefit of the team, society, and community. It's also a source of happiness because, in charge of a unit, they have been able to gather, guide, motivate, and encourage everyone to strive for and achieve specific goals, developing the capabilities of each individual and the team to complete plans and increase income for their colleagues. The joy and happiness of each member of the team is the happiness of the team leader, at least in terms of work. On the other hand, the experience and good management skills gained at work can also help women to some extent in organizing their lives and strengthening family bonds. In short, women in management positions have many advantages, don't they? (laughs) Women in management have many advantages, especially women in science, because they have clear and logical thinking, so their decisions are usually based on clear evidence and grounds. They also know how to organize work scientifically, from planning, preparing, implementing, and monitoring work efficiently and promptly to achieve high efficiency and minimize errors. Because they are more sensitive and often face more difficulties and hardships in life than men, female leaders are more empathetic to the challenges faced by their employees (especially female employees), making it easier for them to share, encourage, and motivate others in their work and lives. This also creates better emotional bonds within the team. However, for women in management, success at work alone is not enough (or not complete). To harmonize work and family life, a woman must know how to play her role correctly. She may be a boss at work, but at home she must be a mother and wife, not bringing her rigid, superior style of management home to impose on family members. Furthermore, the support of family members is also very important. Even if a woman fulfills her role well, if her husband and children do not support her, it will be very difficult.
Being a manager sometimes requires firmness to achieve work goals, so you may occasionally encounter complaints and resentment from employees. But what's important is being sincere with everyone and transparent in your work; then people will understand and sympathize. My biggest experience and goal in managing is to personally strive to create a truly cohesive and harmonious work environment for all members of the unit. If in a unit everyone is respected and finds joy in their work, in striving, and in sharing individual and collective benefits, then that is a wonderful work environment that not every place can have. A good work environment will inspire and motivate each member to work and contribute. And that is also the success and happiness of the manager.
Ms. Ngo Thi Kieu Oanh (Deputy Head of the Personnel Department): Human resource management requires a touch of "compassion".
Human resource management is the most comprehensive and complex field of management because it involves people. Human relationships inherently contain numerous overlapping conflicts. Therefore, handling interpersonal relationships is the most complex task. Furthermore, at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – a higher education environment – the subjects of human resource management are highly qualified and knowledgeable intellectuals. Therefore, human resource managers need specialized knowledge, expertise, and the ability to handle tasks with a flexible and adaptable approach, while adhering to principles. One of the most important lessons I've learned after many years in personnel management is that, in addition to other requirements, human resource managers need genuine understanding and empathy for the thoughts and feelings of their staff in order to make the right decisions. In resolving issues, compassion is truly essential. Our faculty members are highly capable individuals who have undergone rigorous selection processes, examinations, and challenges before being retained or recruited to teach and conduct research. However, there are also cases where seemingly insurmountable difficulties arise, such as individuals wanting to leave the university due to personal issues they cannot share with anyone… In such critical moments, human resources managers can listen and understand their concerns, and with reasonable and empathetic advice and analysis, easily resolve these issues and change their initial decisions. Each time we successfully resolve such a case, we feel immense joy because we not only retain our staff but also receive very positive feedback from these same faculty members, who later describe the working environment at the university as truly friendly, humane, and an environment where they want to stay and contribute long-term. I wholeheartedly agree with the saying: "A manager must have a warm heart and a cool head." A warm heart is needed for empathy, understanding, and enthusiasm for work, but a cool head is essential to uphold principles and carefully consider overlapping conflicts of interest. Management is truly both a science and an art, requiring professional and systematic work, not just relying on experience and inherited traditions. However, no matter how tough and decisive a woman may be, she possesses unique characteristics: softness, gentleness, and femininity inherent in her gender, making her more likely to create a positive impression than her male colleagues. Furthermore, management requires meticulous attention to detail and patience, giving women a significant advantage, especially in personnel management involving employee rights and policies. In interpersonal interactions, female managers are also less likely to encounter negative behavior from others. These are "God-given" qualities in women; if they are aware of this and combine it with other abilities, women have a significant advantage over men. In fact, there are many jobs that women handle better than men.
Of course, women also face many difficulties in order to successfully complete their assigned tasks. Women in management positions must make certain sacrifices not only for themselves but also for their families. Just to give a simple example: being a leader or manager means you'll inevitably have to work earlier and come home later than others. I once didn't dare send my child to a public kindergarten and had to send her to a private school (and even then, I had no other choice than one close to home) because I couldn't guarantee the schedule for picking her up and dropping her off. Similarly, when traveling for work, men can easily go without much worry, but women have to worry about preparing for their families and children thoroughly before they can confidently leave. Another obstacle for female managers is that the prime age, when they are mature enough to be appointed to management positions, often coincides with the time when their children are still young and require a lot of care. For women in this age group, family and children are their top priorities. When friends meet, the first thing they ask about is each other's health and children, rarely about their job title or how much they earn. Therefore, balancing family and work at this time is very difficult. However, in Vietnamese society in particular, and Eastern societies in general, women must overcome the patriarchal mindset that still exists among a certain segment of the male population. To succeed, they must be confident and demonstrate their capabilities in their work. The decisive qualities for becoming a good leader or manager are decisiveness, courage, and strong opinions; they must not be indecisive. Because a leader or manager is someone who dares to take responsibility, who is the driving force, with an entire team depending on them. Ultimately, effectiveness and output are the most accurate measures of the qualities and capabilities of a leader or manager.
