Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) has called on women in management and leadership positions to build alliances and strategic relationships to have competitive advantage and grow in their chosen careers.
The call was made a the Women in Management and Leadership Conference titled ‘Building alliances and strategic relationships’ which held in Lagos.
The President and Chairman of the Council of Nigerian Institute of Management, Dr Christiana Atako, said, “The institute fully understands most of the challenges faced by women in their efforts to excel in their careers while also being at their best on the home front thereby achieving excellent work-life balance.
“There is a compelling need for women to build alliances and strategic relationships in their bid to break the glass ceiling and get to the pinnacle of their career wherever they choose to compete. A conscious effort must be made by all concerned to encourage women instead of impeding their march to the top.”
She said was convinced that women were not asking to be gifted in management and leadership positions; but only demanded a level playing field to compete favourably because they possessed all it took to excel at the top.
“There is no gain in saying the fact that creating a strategic alliance and effective collaboration with other businesses can enable an organisation to have access to new markets, resources, synergy, and expertise as well as lowered risks and costs if business strategy and goals are clearly defined, and potential partners properly identified and chosen,” she added.
The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, LASU, Prof Adenike Boyo, said, to achieve any goal, the ladies should have some core values.
In management, Olatunji-Bello said, they needed to have a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve.
“Building alliances and strategic relationships create a strong foundation among the participating parties, and help executives share risk and reduce costs for effective communication, shared understanding, and mutual accountability,” she said.
According to her, strategic relationships were no longer a strategic option but a necessity in the 21st-century competitive business environment.
Women in management and leadership roles should endeavour to form interdisciplinary and intergenerational alliances with other talented people, she said.
