by Martaeleonora Paiar
This is the second in a series of interviews of outstanding women who share their experiences and advice. PWA is proud to list Manuela in our Ready for Board Women project
This month PWA spoke with Manuela D’Onofrio, Head of Global Investment Strategy in the Private Banking Division for Unicredit Group.
Manuela studied mathematics before embarking on her extensive career in the financial services industry, both in Italy and the U.S., working for Chase Manhattan, J.P. Morgan and BIPIEMME, before joining Unicredit. She started in the banking industry at a time when bankers, especially the upper management, were mostly men. Read her full professional background here.
PWA:
Manuela, could you please share with us the skills that you have found to be your most valuable, the ones that have helped you the most to succeed in business?
Manuela:
A definite set of skills which helped me in my life and in my career include passion, intuition, analysis and synthesis competencies, topped by the ability to think quickly, to concentrate very easily and to go deep into every subject, instead of staying on the surface. There are perhaps three more skills which have enabled me to have a successful career: technical competency in my job, understanding for my limits and the managerial capacity to allow my team to achieve their full potential, to grow and shine, instead of holding them back. Moreover, I think that for me it was important to understand not only finance, but also the big picture. That means understanding the global trends (i.e., macroeconomics and demographics) that are shaping the world, trends which give us an idea of where the world and the global economy is going. Plus, I never stop learning: I read plenty and, as somebody that entered the financial world from a different field [Manuela studied mathematics], learning something new has been a constant in my life. In a nutshell: passion, intuition, competency and the understanding of your limits are critical to success.
PWA:
How important do you think is the ability to network?
Manuela:
I think it’s extremely important. In my opinion, it determines thirty percent of everybody’s career. It is a “do ut des” relationship, not to be confused with friendship. Networking has to be focused. Your goal should be to create a network of contacts in order to be remembered when needed, stand out in the crowd, and to be used as a referral. If you need to hire somebody, you prefer to hire the people that you know, that you trust, and that you can work well with together, instead of taking the risk of hiring somebody you don’t know, nor do any of your contacts. For example, when I have to hire somebody and I have to choose among candidates with comparable experiences and skills, I usually call my contacts to ask them if they know any of the candidates, so as to have some information about the candidates.
Having just stated the importance of networking, I have to admit that I could improve my networking skills, since I don’t have currently a “proper” network.
PWA:
What about the ability to network with other women in particular?
Manuela:
It’s important to network with both men and women.
PWA:
What suggestions would you give to younger professionals to establish a network that could help them to enhance their professional career and make the most out of it?
Manuela:
First of all, networking has to be focused. Second, you could organize dinners to gain new contacts and invite people to talk about their experiences. You could do something like this at your company or in your spare time. Last, but not least, I suggest that you ask questions at different events (e.g., conferences). From the questions you ask, other professionals can get the idea of who you are and how do you think.
PWA:
What are the main differences you need to consider when working in an international environment?
Manuela:
It is very important to be aware of the cultural differences between different nationalities. For example, Germans are more formal than Italians. They are very fond of procedures and, by converse, they tend not to be pleased when something happens not in accordance to the established rules.
PWA:
What are the most significant aspects to be considered to establish the right working climate?
Manuela:
In my opinion it is important not to take yourself too seriously, to allow some time also for laughter and an occasional joke in the office.
PWA:
What is your strategy to achieve a good balance of work and home life? Are there any rules you would like to share with us?
Manuela:
My all-embracing rules are the followings: do what you love–I truly love my job. Then prioritize carefully and be a bit selfish, meaning that you have to be aware of your value and of whom is the most important person in your life: yourself. One big issue with which I have had to cope has been overcoming the feeling of guilt towards my family that I had by pursuing my time-consuming career. In my opinion, as a woman you may feel guilty if you are not dedicating the majority of your time to your family. Whereas a man might not feel guilt at all. How I manage to overcome this issue was by being honest to myself and understanding that by changing careers and working less, I would have been unhappy. Since an unhappy or depressed mother is much worse than an absent mother, I basically made a deal with my son: I would pursue my dreams and thereby provide a good example for him, and encourage him to pursue his.
PWA:
How do you cope with stress?
Manuela:
I cope with stress by using two strategies: First, I think that nobody is essential and everybody is just an atom in the universe. Secondly, I am aware that stress is negative and aimless. So, everyone should try to cope with it by finding something nice to do to distract themselves in order to avoid stress. In fact, everybody should find something, a hobby or a sport, to distract and stop their brain from the repetitive loop of negative thoughts and to fix themselves on a different pleasant thought.
PWA:
Based on your experience, what would you suggest to younger professionals aiming to develop their careers?
Manuela:
They should understand what they want and where they want to be, asking for it and take risks to get it, to get there. To understand what they want, I recommend they analyze carefully what they have done and understand what they like and what they don’t like about their past actions. After that I suggest they discard what they don’t like and to understand how to achieve again what they liked, to achieve more of the same, to repeat regularly this behavior. Don’t be shy. Ask for what you desire, ask for a desired position, for instance. In my understanding of people, they are generally not good at asking for what they want.
