Margaret Heffernan is the ideal woman whose life history and teachings can inspire today’s modern career woman.
An astute business lady, her Ted Talks and other achievements will inspire you…
If you are looking for inspiration and motivation, then read on – this article is meant for you.
Personal History
Margaret was born in 1942 in Texas City.
She was the eldest child of Ben Dunne, her father, and Nora Maloney, her mother.
She has five siblings who look up to her as their eldest.
Introduction into the world of business
The business-minded lady was introduced to the world of business as soon as she completed school at 14 years.
She started by working in her father’s clothing business which the community knew a Dunne’s clothing shop.
Additionally, a few years later, she became the company’s director in this company where she was first employed.
Experience
As the director of her father’s company, she gathered a lot of experience.
This experience was majorly on human resource management as well as strategic planning and purchasing of raw materials.
She also became a tough negotiator where she engaged outside parties in business deals and was keen to get the best of deals.
However, in her tenure as director, the clothing shop had approximately 500 legal suits in court.
Career
Margaret Heffernan has spoken openly about the issue of women in the workplace.
She began her career as an award-winning producer at the BBC.
She later became the CEO of the British creative Association of Independent Film and TV Producers.
Additionally, she has been the chief executive of five different businesses.
And yes, She has also authored six different books, majorly about women entrepreneurs.
The Future
When talking about the future, Margaret points out that ‘We don’t know the lot’. She illustrates that claiming to know about the future is a form of propaganda.
Additionally, she speaks about the benefits of being open to what the future brings.
This she believes is a more productive manner of handling businesses than predicting a future that is not to be seen yet.
Margaret Heffernan Ted Talks
Margaret has been on Ted Talks and has shared her knowledge and expertise in several of them. Below we highlight some of them:
The Sound of things not being said
In her TedTalk presentation on ‘The sound of things not being said,’ Margaret points out that most executives sit on issues they dare not speak out about.
She identifies that such silence is a result of fear of futility.
However, she points out that such silence is detrimental for businesses because it guarantees no change.
She encourages women not to be cowed by their gender but to openly speak about things going on in their organizations or workplaces.
Willful blindness
While speaking about Willful blindness, she points out that it is a human problem where people under certain circumstances are willfully blind.
The motivation behind such blindness is the fear of becoming a whistleblower.
She advises that instead of being willfully blind, one should exercise their freedom of speech since “Freedom does not exist if it is not used.”
Margaret encouraged people in organizations and institutions to speak out about issues that need to be pointed out.
It is the only way to bring about change at the workplace.
Productivity at the workplace
While speaking about productivity, Margaret spoke at length about the pecking order at the workplace.
She explains the pecking order where people suppress the productivity of others.
This order is due to people being taught that the only way to get ahead is through competition.
This encourages employees to strive to become super performers to achieve success. As a result, conflict is bred.
In her own words, she says: ‘If the only way the most productive can be successful is by suppressing the productivity of the rest, then we badly need to find a better way to work and a richer way to live.”
Achievement of success
Additionally, the successful businesswoman and author indulged in discussing what makes some groups more successful than others.
She points out that the most successful groups of people do not consist of higher IQ levels than the rest of the other groups.
On the contrary, Margaret points out that they are those groups that work together as a team.
They are the groups that appreciate each other’s input and encourage teamwork.
Such social interactions amongst group members are what contribute towards the success of the groups.
It is from here that we learn that success is not an individual goal. It is a goal to be achieved through teamwork and cordial interactions amongst group members.
Voluntary Work
Margaret Heffernan has involved herself in a lot of voluntary work.
She helped to found ‘The People in Need Trust’ in 1988.
They fundraised tens of millions of euros that the project managers used in charitable activities.
She was a founding sponsor of the Education and Research Centre at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin.
Further still, she has led fundraising initiatives for the Education and Research Centre.
She has led fundraising initiatives for the Diabetes Centre in the St. Vincent Hospital.
Finally, she contributed towards the conversion of Carysfort College chapel into a library for Smurfit School of Business.
Recognition
Margaret Heffernan is recognized for winning the City of Dublin’s Millennium Award for all the charity work she had done since 1988.
In 1989 she was one of the first awardees for Dublin’s Lord Mayor’s Award.
In 2007 she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the National University of Ireland.
This award was given in recognition of her business and charitable work.
Conclusion
Margaret Heffernan is the ideal example of a modern successful career woman.
She successfully juggled between her personal life, her career, and her businesses.
She has spoken on many occasions about the importance of eradicating the idea of competition in the workplace.
Instead, she encourages the involvement of all persons at a common ground without the urge to outdo each other to achieve success.
She identifies the common problems that women may face at the workplace and points out possible solutions for the same.
In conclusion, therefore, the ideas shared by this successful entrepreneur can aid in the establishment of successful businesses and careers by the modern woman.