Women can go far if they don’t limit themselves

Dar es Salaam. It is not the glass ceiling that prevents women from climbing up the corporate ladder, but rather their unconscious minds and imaginary thoughts.

Managing Director and CEO of NCBA Bank Tanzania Limited, Margaret Karume encourages women to stop creating negative images in their minds. She says women should stop creating roadblocks and glass ceilings because they can go as far as they want if they do not limit themselves.

According to her, negative thoughts which are in most cases not real but imaginary hinder women from becoming leaders.

“Women can go as far as they want if they put away that imaginary glass ceiling. They need to believe in themselves. Women limit themselves, women can achieve anything they wish to become, what hinders them from becoming leaders is what they think as roadblocks which do not exist,” she says.

Margaret, who has worked in the banking industry for close to three decades started her career at the lowest entry level back in 1993. She started as a clerk at the branch operations and worked for around five years before she became the relationship manager at Barclays Bank, now ABSA Bank.

Prior to her appointment as Managing Director and CEO of NCBA Bank, Margaret was the managing director of NIC Bank Tanzania Limited. She was also the executive director of Credit Risk at NIC Bank group headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The mother of two holds a Global Executive MBA and BSc. International Business Administration from United States International University (USIU), Africa. She is also a holder of Part One Certification in Accounting from the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examination Board and a Diploma in Customer Relationship Management from the Institute of Financial Services (UK). Margaret is also an Associate of the Kenya Institute of Bankers.

Her career has been very interesting but very intense because having grown through the ranks, she progressively moved from one level to another. From a clerk to a leader in several departments. She has been a supervisor, an assistant manager, a manager, head of department, director of department and now a CEO.

Commenting on the lessons she has taken with her from each step of her career journey, Margaret mentions teamwork as being one of the most valuable lessons she has learnt.

“Team work is one of the important things to me because when you pull your efforts on the best of the team, it is easy to get the results you want…,” says Margaret.

Other lessons include discipline and time management. She says given that each of us has the same 24 hours, the reason why some achieve more in their careers is because they prioritise important work and maintain a good social network. It’s good to have support and advice from others so you can be able to move from one stage to another.

Also another lesson that Margaret has learnt over the years is the importance of learning from both her juniors and seniors. She says if someone is able to apply themselves in anything they do, they will be able to finish projects on time and be better versions of themselves.

According to her, NCBA Bank gives equal opportunities to all employees, regardless of their gender.

The bank believes opportunities are for anyone who is able to bring change to the organisation.

“We don’t consider gender. As long as you can prove to the hiring committee that you’re up to the task, then you will be given the job. That’s why we also have a great number of women at the NCBA at the senior levels,” says Margaret. On the challenges and pressure that come with working in such a crucial and demanding sector, Margaret says; “Being a CEO, you are a leader and a leader can only deliver through others. What I do to handle those challenges is to make sure that I have a very able team and I make sure that my team knows I depend on them.” She adds: “I do a lot of consultations with my team members and give them decision-making powers. So when I shift the responsibilities, I distribute them among team members and develop some people in the process,” she narrates.

When asked to comment on the importance of mentors and coaches, Margaret said she has received a lot of coaching and mentoring right from when she was a clerk. She always believes that when you prove yourself and when you’re willing to go the extra mile, you will always find people who identify you.

“You will notice people who support you and mentor you appear in your journey. Even today as the managing director, I have mentors who are younger than me. Life is a journey that needs coaches and I don’t think there is anyone who can say they don’t need mentors.”

According to her, it is very important for women to have mentors and coaches. She says mentors teach us things that we may not be aware of ourselves. These people always spot potential opportunities and help unlock newer versions of us.

She believes that mentors need to be able to tell us the hard facts. These are the people who can give us constructive feedback and not only tell you things that will make you happy.

With all the experience she has as a leader in banking, Margaret has some useful advice to pass on to other women. She insists that number one is teamwork and self-discipline, inside and outside the office.

“Developing these habits will make you grow in your career and also outside the office. People need to be able to harness the strength of the team. Sometimes you may have a team whose members are not equal in everything, so you need to listen to your team members,” she explains.

As a leader, Margaret says it’s absolutely critical to listen to your team members. She says you may not agree with them but you should give them the confidence that they can come and be open to you.

Describing her leadership style, Margaret says; “I’m firm but I am also fair and I like giving a balanced view or a balanced decision taking into consideration of all the factors.”

Apart from office life, Margaret is a member of the choir at her church.

She enjoys interacting with people and her hobbies include travelling and meeting new people as well as making friends.