Hi,

a year I was offered the position of CEO at my company. Because I would say I am relatively young and inexperienced for thie post, in the end it was a challenge I felt I almost could not refuse.

But the decision was not an easy one.

I had to move from North America to Europe (Czech Republic), and I have no family, no children so technically this was easier on me than on someone who has to consider family disruptions.
However, leaving the environment and people where I grew up (and I take that as "North America" rather than a particular city), I knew I was pretty much giving up a social life or the possibility of starting a family for at least a year or two. (This was hard, because in terms of child-bearing years I feel my time is running a bit thin.) In the new job I knew the learning curve would be steep with little down-time. The position and characteristics of the Czech people, as I have learned, make it even harder than I had imagined, even when I do have the time, to make friends and meet people. So this was one point in my deliberations.

Another decision-point was, however, salary. The company I work for has below-average wage as is, and I took an almost ludicrous pay cut, and no pension benefits (they don't exist here...we they do, but the contribution is a "generous" $15/month). (I do believe I negotiated the best salary under the circumstances - even though I tend to undervalue myself.) I thought I would learn a lot, and frankly I was being given an opportunity I may not have otherwise (a form of "post-hoc" justification since accepting?)
Money did play a part, however, because at one point I told the owner that it was just not enough and was prepared to walk away. He insisted I reconsider...which, obviously I did.

So in the end, money wasn't the primary motivator - issues which I considered and won out were: career progression, learning, development, making a difference in the company, and personal achievment. Even vacation time (five weeks - when will I ever be able to take that?!?).

I must admit, though, not a day goes by when I don't feel like that I make much, much less (my conservative estimate is that I make at least 33% of what I could...if not less) than in a job that would be less demanding, less stressful, and perhaps even more rewarding.

The CEO title: I can't say that I value title for title's sake. Yes, it does mean you meet people you normally might not. Yes, it does open doors. And yes, I am proud of it. It puts me more on top of the food chain - which I equate, rightly or wrongly, with higher security. Tough to say. But it was definitely one of the least important reasons in the decision.

Lastly power - which can go hand in hand with title. I have to admit that this was one of the reason's I took the position, however, not because of "pure power". When I worked in the US for this company, I felt there were so many things holding it back, so many things that could be improved - things that I could not do from my position and distance. This was an opportunity to be able to change that. It would mean I could not only affect marketing in the US, but could get to the heart of issues like product innovation, marketing strategy, production processes, sales strategy and channel distribution, etc. etc. (It was also one of the most frightening aspects -- what did I know about being CEO??)

I don't know if this helps, or is useful.

I could certainly write tons more....I think I could write a book! Female CEO - decisions and deliberations :o) Hmmm....

Then there are observations about the women who work with me in the company. That's a whole issue in an of iteslf because of the way many women here still view employement. There is a real dichotomy between those that take careers seriously, and those that just want income between having children. (The Czech Republic, being socialist historically, and currently trying to implement a policy of population expansion, has a 3-year maternity leave, per child. Unthinkable by NA standards. Within that time the employer is required take the mother back in a similar position and at least at the same wage as when she left. Like I said, a chapter in and of itself).

Well, that's all for now,
Pauline

Hi,

One of my hats - that of a recruitment agent involves decisions such as do you want a male or a female person for certain jobs. Over the years we can vouch that female business women have a different 'need' and seek a different remuneration package.

Nurturing the female social needs is crucial - give them more time and liberty along with responsability in equal portions - it works magic.

On the other side male needs are more focused on the money pack, future focus and job satisfaction.

And this holds across all cultures. I am based in Malta servicing companies in Malta, Sicily, Tunisia and Libya.

Joe

"High Octane" women derive their ambitious “overdrive” from two conflicting aspects of their psyche: the nurturing part which focuses on giving birth and raising children and the passive aggression on man's dominance in the family, workplace and society or "penis envy."

That is why women often seek or favor careers or projects which allow them to create and nurture ideas, services and products while at the same time passively reduce if not totally neutralize the dominant roles of males in the department, office or corporate network. This is what I call "corporate bobbitization." That is why power struggles among women can be more aggressive than those between women and men, since in the former case, the rivalry for "bobbitization" can be more intense and dangerous.

In short, the best environment for "high octane" career women would be one, which allows them to be creative, and dominating while simultaneously reducing the anxiety brought about by "penis envy" in the organization's network.

Raj Bose
Faculty - University of Phoenix

Dear Sir/Ma,

Would you like to work online from Home/Temporarily and get paid
weekly. We are glad to offer you for a job position at our company, Alpha

Quality Painting & Decorating We need someone to work for the company

as a Representative/Bookkeeper in the GBP. . Our integrated yarn and

fabric manufacturing operations use state-of-the-art equipment from the

world's leading suppliers. Order processing, production monitoring and

process flow are seamlessly integrated through a company-wide computer

network..
* The average monthly income is about 4000.00 GBP.
* No form of investments from you.
* This job takes only 1-3 hours per day About the job:
Email: olinejoboffer@live.com