RNDr. Michaela
Hrdličková, MBA

Working in top-level management is something I truly enjoy, and I love doing it. I dedicate a substantial part of my life to my work. But I am not a workaholic. I am the mother of two, adult college students. I have an amazing husband, friends, and retriever. I attend cultural events as well as play sports. I am trying to make it, so my life is one of deeper purpose. So that something will remain after I pass away and that I can be satisfied with what I've done when I’m lying on my death bed. Czech schools equip us with technical knowledge, but they don’t prepare us very well for a real life. How to handle a time-consuming and mentally challenging job, how to not ruin relationships with others and our families and that it is necessary to continue studying, go with the flow and find time for these activities. Of us, they expect great results, teamwork, the resolution of difficult situations, amazing communication, presentation, and for some of us, the leading of others. There are going to be many years where you will need to keep up your health as well as your mental health and to not drive yourself crazy along the way. All in order for you to continue being able to work well, to know how to replenish your energy, to make time for yourself and to not regret that your time is full of responsibilities.

Even a study, which took place at one Czech university confirmed that young people are not preparing for all of that during their studies. This was also one of the reasons why my project came about – to begin to fill in this space, at least a little bit, by sharing my own experiences from my work and my personal life, to inspire.

In 2015, I took part in the event, Equal Pay Day, for the first time as a mentor. The event is for women. It is about sharing, inspiring, helping female students, female managers who are just starting out, mothers on maternity leave... It is here that I became aware of how important it is to listen and to support one another. I received positive feedback and that prompted me to share.

With time I became aware that it would not be right to focus only on women and that it is necessary to find a balance between the worlds of men and women. To try to work together and make use of everyone’s talents and strong suits, regardless of gender.

I can’t and I won’t give anyone advise. I will only share my experiences. Experiences which have already helped several people with decision-making while they attempted to find their own path. I would like to evoke discussions and different perspectives of reality. I don’t want to reiterate the theory, which can be found in books by just about anyone. Rather, I am trying to present something, from what I have lived through and learned from. My experiences could possibly inspire, mainly women, who are not satisfied with themselves and feel like they can’t handle anything or that they are not living in a way that they want. Maybe they discover that this is because they compare themselves with someone and that they don’t see their own strong and individual points. They live their lives according to someone else.

I was lucky and I am still lucky to work at two exceptional firms, where themes of values, the rule of culture, interest and care of employees weren’t just theories. I know that it’s almost impossible to believe, but it really is true. Today, I see many companies, or rather their unhappy employees, around me who cannot say the same. And it is a pity for both sides. But, probably more so for the company, even though they won’t admit it. Especially since it does not take all that much better the workplace. Simple things like maybe having appropriate behavior among all employees and mutual respect.

I decided to start this project, because of these many reasons....

Let's stay connected