Her passion for reading and collecting books evolved into a lifetime habit and proved to be invaluable in her career. The thirst and hunt for information and knowledge on any subject that interested her or came in the line of her work was insatiable, driving her to sneak into libraries during office hours when she worked at People’s Bank. Growing up in a little village in Elpitiya , off Aluthgama in the Galle district, Manoja Jayawardena, was not a docile or timid child, despite a rather strict upbringing. “Despite my mother being a strict disciplinarian, I was quite a tomboy.” Her childhood playmates were her brothers, one older and other younger. Playtime was in a sprawling garden and among paddy fields and atop trees in her garden and neighbourhood.
She also had a wide relative circle with both parents being from large families. “I had loads of cousins in my village and I grew up in a large, traditional, southern village family environment.”
A simple, traditional, yet comfortable village life, with a bunch of cousins as playmates, and wide-open spaces and giant trees as their playground, formed the initial characteristics of her personality which led Manoja Jayawardena to be CEO/Director Automated Barcode Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Many years later and with a scholarship to Vishaka Vidyalaya Colombo, from her school Elpitiya, Ananda Primary School, Manoja’s independent, headstrong, personality was moulded, fine-tuned and transformed into one with strong potential for leadership and entrepreneurship.
Manoja’s career is ridden with strange twists and turns of fate.
Her higher education plan, with parental blessings was to be a Chemistry graduate. But plans diverted, when her entry to the University of Colombo for a degree in Bio Science, was postponed for over three years during the height of the 1988/89 JVP activities. The impatient Manoja, raring to get on with her life and career applied and joined People’s Bank as a trainee and also began following CIMA, a move frowned upon by her parents.
Rebellious and strong-willed by nature, she continued her CIMA studies against the advice of her parents. She also gave up her place at Colombo University in a mutual transfer with a fellow student from Ruhuna university, infuriating her parents.
“By this time, I had the confidence and courage to follow my own convictions. I leant the art of not reacting to opposition and criticism, and following my own self-made path.”
While studying CIMA to become a management accountant, she had also gathered professional experience at IWS Holdings as an assistant accountant and KG Group and Confifi Group as an accountant.
As an accountant Manoja gained experience in Manufacturing, Services, Hotels, Travel industry and IT for more than 10 years apart from banking, before becoming a CEO.
“Working at Confifi Group was my best experience, with opportunities to work with banks and the corporate sector.”
Manoja Jayawardena joined as the General Manager in 2004 and took over as CEO/director Automated Barcode Solutions Pvt. Ltd in 2005, which was quite challenging at the time. She fought many battles legal, professional and personal, during the period 2006-2011, the most crucial period in her career.
“The IT industry I work in, is one of the most male dominated fields of business. I believe I am the only one or one of the very few females in this particular field of automated solutions.
One of my biggest battles was to convince my male colleagues and even subordinates that I come from a background of knowledge and professionalism.
Every pitch, presentation and meeting was a testing of my knowledge in the field. But now for 18 years as the top executive in the company and establishing myself as a leading player in the business of Automated IT Solutions I think the industry has placed total confidence and acceptance in me. I am really proud of that achievement.”
“In my life I had two main challenges,” Manoja says. One professional and the other personal. One was to build her career and the other was to bring up her daughter, the most precious gift bestowed to Manoja in her life, as a single mother.
BMD spoke to Manoja Jayawardena on the challenges of breaking the glass ceiling in a predominantly male oriented business environment of automated IT solutions and her perspectives on leadership and motherhood, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, on March 8th.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: You are probably the only or one of the very few women CEOs in the IT business of automated solutions. How did you break the glass ceiling?
Definitely my personality, leadership skills and professional background have helped me to steer my way through. But I have no formal training in this or in fact the IT field at all.
I learn every day. I read, study, watch relevant videos, talk to technical people and I am continuously learning…
I have to convince all the technical professionals who work with me that “I know what I am talking about.” In fact, many of the projects awarded to us have been on merit.
I have designed and offered some solutions which are done for the first time in Sri Lanka. These solutions take a lot of reading , preparation, technical know-how and commitment.We have been recognized by ICTA in their e-Swabhimani 2011, under e-Government category for the Network Based Access Control System developed 100% by us.
Q: What examples did you set for your daughter for her responsibilities in her professional and personal relationships?
A: My daughter is a graduate and a professional in the cyber security field. Taking a page off my book, I did not interfere with her decision. She must follow her own dreams, just like I did, so I accepted her decision and encouraged her with her studies.
I am very proud of my only daughter, who has been an obedient, supportive daughter to me as she grew up, when I had my own issues of coping with my dual roles of leadership and motherhood.
There were times when I had to clock additional hours on my career and she was alone, safe but without me. She has understood and adjusted to these situations extremely well. She has also been gifted with a beautiful voice and has done some recordings as well.
My philosophy and message on challenges: “The challenge is you.” And my motto, “I can do it,” words of grit and courage from a self-made leader.
Q: As a leading player in the automated Solutions field how do you want to reshape the industry in the immediate years ahead?
A: Currently our scope is mainly in the areas of biometrics and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The IT sector in general took a very bad hit during the global pandemic, since it is not considered an area of priority. However, it is an area of high potential and high growth.
In our next phase of growth, we plan to focus more on systems integration for a total automated solution. For example, business enterprises and even homes now have several individual IT solutions for security and safety like CCTV cameras and fire alarm systems. We offer these various solutions on one integrated platform.
Q: What is your perspective on leadership?
A: I believe the most important expectation from a leader is responsibility for his/her own actions. Leaders often clear the path of obstacles for their employees and focus on developing personalities.
Leaders place more focus on the personal development of their staff with improving communication across the board in an organization and in encouraging innovation and thinking beyond limits. Prioritizing objectives and working on short term and long-term goals are also characteristics of great leaders, I believe.
Q: How should a leader handle their organizational crisis?
A: I have gone through many crisis situations during the 18 years of my business career.
I would first keep calm and focus on the cause for the crisis. Next I would analyse the cause and options to overcome the crisis, select the best option and work on alternatives.
I would also demarcate and make a list of priorities, focus on a survival strategy, be open for communication, discussion and ideas from stakeholders.
The main thing would be being positive minded and believing “I can do it.”
Employees would be a main resource in a crisis, especially in our industries as they are skilled. Keeping the right spirits flowing among the employees would be vital.
Q: How do you set organizational goals?
A: As a company in the field of technology, the main focus is on human capital which are skilled and trained. It is very important to have trained and competent staff, to execute our projects which are complex in nature anyway. So, the first thing is having long term work force in setting goals for the organization.
Planning for short term and long term goals is another priority. Short term goals would be fast income generating projects and while long term goals focus on the company’s image building, complex solutions, which would take more time to commission, but add value to the goodwill of the company.
Q: How do you motivate employees?
A: I believe employees are the biggest asset of an organization. Keeping the staff motivated is a key ingredient of success.
AS their leader I would first endeavour to find out what motivates them. Many expect recognition, praise and compliments. Also getting them actively involved in work, getting new ideas, listening to them and sharing knowledge are important in motivating staff.
Personal development, training, directing and mentoring staff is something I do continuously. Many who join as just school leavers are persuaded and directed to learn and qualify in their respective areas. In the past eighteen years I have been a mentor, teacher and a motivator to many youngsters.
Q: What is your advice to young professionals?
A: My advice to them is: Have an open mind, believe in self, build self-confidence, take responsibility for your actions, accept challenges, continue learning, learn to accept defeats, don’t give up, have an attitude that “nothing is impossible,” be honest, a first to self then to others, courtesy and positive attitude.