Leadership of Large Corporations is Achieved Only Through Years of Hard Work and Proven Results

Tea Martinčić is one of the few women at the helm of management in the banking sector in Croatia. Her position as the CEO of Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank has earned her the title of one of the top ten women in Croatian business according to the weekly Lider this year.

– Croatia is a young country and a young economy, but at the same time, it is a system where women significantly contribute to social and economic development. This is definitely evidenced by the fact that Croatia today has a female president, a female president of the Constitutional Court, had a female prime minister, a female minister of defense… Personally, I am against positive discrimination because I believe that the effort, dedication, and achieved results are the only relevant criteria for evaluating someone’s contribution and that they determine the possibility of career advancement. However, I am also an advocate for equal opportunities for all – says Martinčić, who this year ranked sixth among the most powerful women on the topic of gender (in)equality in the business world, especially in higher managerial positions.

According to Martinčić, leadership of a company, especially large corporations, is achieved only through years of hard work and proven results. – It is certainly not in the interest of the owners and shareholders of companies to appoint just a ‘pretty face,’ so to speak, that will diminish the value of their company. Also, if your people see that you know your job, know what you are talking about, that you respect them and believe in them, they will accept and follow you. Not because you are a man or a woman. Not because they have to, but because they trust you – believes Martinčić.

At Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank, she adds, the division between men and women at the level of directors and executive directors, i.e., the managerial level, is almost 50 percent-50 percent. – This is not something the Bank aimed for, but it happened based on individual capabilities. I consider generalizing and stereotyping someone’s abilities as a reflection of ignorance and stubbornness, and I perceive them, as well as prejudices, as characteristics of insecure people that say more about them than about others – emphasizes Martinčić, adding that she does not believe there are exclusively male or female management traits, although a large study published in Harvard Business Review a couple of years ago showed that female managers achieve better results than men in 12 out of 16 categories, including two that have long been considered exclusively male advantages – taking initiative and results orientation.

Martinčić believes that every healthy system provides all its “members” with equal opportunities for advancement and the possibility of achieving professional and personal aspirations. If this is not the case, then the system is not healthy and needs to be fundamentally changed, and any inequality, in any direction, is nothing but discrimination.

The CEO of Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank is, as she says, a ‘hands-on’ type of person and although she does not have time for micromanagement, she likes to be involved in all areas of her bank, which is why her workday lasts 14 hours. – What has always driven me in my career is the fact that I love my job, focus on results, that I love to learn and grow professionally, and that I am a hard worker and a detail-oriented person. So as long as I feel satisfaction with my job and work environment, business challenges are never an insurmountable obstacle. From personal experience, I assert that women as mothers and wives find it harder to balance their careers. Not so much due to the ‘expectations’ of others regarding our ‘task,’ but rather due to our desire to give our best in all areas and that neither work, nor especially family, suffers because of it. However, since the day has only 24 hours, someone ends up with the shorter end of the stick, and most often it is us, as we have the least time left for ourselves. For much of what I have achieved during my career, I must thank my parents, especially my mother Mela, my husband, and my daughter Maja and son Marko. With their support, understanding, and love, every workday, even the frustrating ones, is easier. However, it does not play any role for them that their mother is the CEO, so that card at home is not much of an advantage. Within our four walls, the role of wife and mother is far more important than any business title – says Martinčić.