Business Travel Opens Doors For Women Seeking Greater Visibility And Leadership Opportunities

In today's fast-paced business world, career advancement can often hinge on one factor: visibility. For women in corporate roles, gaining that visibility — especially with executive leadership, international clients and strategic decision-makers — has historically been a challenge. But there's one tool that is changing that: business travel, says the company.

Business travel isn't just about attending meetings in a boardroom across the country or presenting at a global conference — it's about being in the right place, at the right time, making things happen. And for ambitious, future-facing women, corporate travel can be a gateway to growth, leadership and influence, adds the company.

Mafojane is an advocate of women using corporate travel to accelerate their careers. "Business trips put you in front of crucial people — whether it's partnering with colleagues in other regions, seeing customers or networking with suppliers," she says.

In the age of Zoom calls and online meetings, in-person experiences allow you to get to know people in their own environment and build deeper levels of trust. "Travel gives you a chance to live in their world for a bit, which isn't always possible to do virtually," says Mafojane. "It gives that personal touch, which is so important, especially in South Africa. We are a community — we learn and grow from each other."

Mafojane acknowledges that there are extra challenges at play for women who travel for work. "People don't ask men on business trips about who is looking after the family or the kids. It's not always as easy as a woman to be able to drop everything."

FCM is part of the Flight Centre Group South Africa — where 71% of senior leaders are women (compared to a global average of 34% when looking at Senior Management roles across mid-market, multi-national organisations). Mafojane credits this commitment to gender parity in the workplace to FCM's culture of inclusion and diversity — and the fact that the company aims to put strategies in place to support and encourage women to take advantage of career-boosting travel opportunities, says the company.

"We always take into consideration safety, flexibility and optimal travelling times," says Mafojane. "For example, booking the 07:00 flight might mean women need to leave their homes while it's still dark. It's not always safe for women travellers to have an early flight or get home late at night."

Women are also more likely to juggle family commitments up until the last minute, leaving them exhausted by the time they get onto the airplane. "As a mom, you already feel like you're trying to manage everything at home. It's only when you get to your destination that you think, 'okay, now I'm in work mode'," says Mafojane. 

Additionally, it's important to plan for travel delays and interruptions. "I choose flights outside of the peak hours so there's less traffic, meaning I can get to the airport later and spend more time at home," says Mafojane. "I'd rather fly overnight than do a day flight because then I've gained a day in both directions," says Mafojane. "I try to arrive on the Sunday morning and spend the day seeing the city so I'm fresh and ready for Monday. Factor in enough time so you're not always rushing."

When Mafojane gets to her destination, she always speaks to the locals to get first-hand information instead of trying to figure everything out by herself. "If you don't ask, you don't know," she says. "When you land, ask the people at the airport where the train station is and how it works. Not only is it cost effective, but it also helps you be more aware of your surroundings."

This collaborative attitude extends to her leadership style, and for Mafojane just one advantage of being a woman is being comfortable to ask questions, "I try to lead by asking questions rather than assuming," says Mafojane. "If you ask people, you get the real information and you also make sure you're not leading by assumption. Asking questions is a great way to make your way through the world."

For Mafojane, it's about being, "hard on the process, soft on the people". She receives this advice from Raylene Pienaar, FCM Business Leader, and it helps inform the way Mafojane leads as well as the way she manages business travel within the company, adds the company.

Being soft on people can often be seen as a weakness for women. "The truth is we're all very passionate about what we do, but when you're a woman, it's seen as a negative thing," says Mafojane. "I hope we can change that."

For decades, workplace biases and stereotypes assumed women were less likely — or willing — to accept roles involving travel. This assumption still quietly shapes who gets selected for client visits or multi-location projects, says the company.

But more women are realising that corporate travel is about more than just professional obligation — it's an opportunity to reposition themselves as mobile, ambitious and leadership ready, adds the company.

"I hope in the next five years that women are taken more seriously. We have laid the foundation, we are showing the results," concludes Mafojane. "It shouldn't matter what gender you are. We should be judged on our skills, capabilities and what we deliver rather than what we wear."

Mummy Mafojane's Top 3 Travel Tips:

Mafojane describes her top three travel tips as follows:

• Own Your Travel Experience: Figure out which travelling times work best for you and plan around that.  
• Ask a Local: When you land in a new city, don't be afraid to speak to the locals and ask questions — this can only elevate your learnings and travel experiences.
• Ditch Perfect: There is no such thing as the 'perfect' way to travel (or do business) but there is the right way for you.

For more information, visit www.fcmtravel.com  You can also follow FCM Travel on LinkedIn.

*Image courtesy of contributor