LJUBLJANA MBA, Women for Women with Nataša Uchytil

LJUBLJANA MBA Alumni Nataša Uchytil shared insights into why she selected the program and the significant impact it has had on her career trajectory.

What leadership skill do you think women are most often underestimated for, and why is it actually a strategic advantage?

Women are often underestimated not just for emotional intelligence, but for strategic empathy: the ability to read systems through people. In STEM environments especially, this is sometimes dismissed as “soft.” But in reality, it’s advanced situational awareness.

As a woman in cybersecurity and tech, I’ve learned that influence rarely comes from authority alone. It comes from understanding unspoken incentives, mapping informal power, and anticipating resistance before it surfaces. What some label as intuition is often high-speed analysis shaped by lived experience.

When you’ve navigated spaces where you are not of the regular kind - whether as a woman in STEM or as a person with a disability (or both :) ) - you become highly attuned to structure. You notice who speaks, who hesitates, who is unheard, where friction hides. That perspective is not just social sensitivity; it's a strategic advantage. It allows you to move deliberately, reduce blind spots, and build alignment without unnecessary escalation.

Leadership is not only about directing. It’s about reading the field accurately before you step and serving where and how it is actually needed.

How did the Ljubljana MBA strengthen the way you think, decide, or lead, and what difference has that made in your work?

Ljubljana MBA didn’t just expand my business knowledge - it matured my thinking.

I began the program as someone analytical and structured. I completed it as someone more systematic and deliberate. The experience forced me to zoom out - to see decisions not as isolated actions but as interconnected moves across financial, human, and strategic dimensions.

What made the journey especially transformative was becoming a mother during the program. Balancing an MBA, leadership responsibilities in cybersecurity, and pregnancy reshaped my relationship with performance. I had to become more efficient, more selective, and more honest about trade-offs. There was no space for perfectionism - only prioritization and learning about how to prioritize decisions, made this transition easier.

The combination of formal strategy education and personal transition forced integration. I lead today with more clarity and less urgency. I understand value creation not just as financial optimization, but as long-term sustainability - for teams, systems, and myself.

What advice would you give to women stepping into more visible leadership roles?

Visibility changes the game. It magnifies strengths, but it also magnifies scrutiny. My advice would be to build internal steadiness before external prominence.

As women - especially in technical fields - we are often conditioned to over-prepare to earn legitimacy. Preparation is powerful, but at some point, you must allow yourself to occupy space without apology. Authority does not require volume; it requires clarity.

If you are navigating leadership as someone who has experienced being underestimated - whether because of gender, disability, or simply being different - understand that your perspective is not a liability. It is a differentiated lens. It allows you to design more inclusive systems, to anticipate unintended consequences, and to lead in a way that integrates strength with awareness.

And finally, detach your worth from constant proof. Leadership is not sustained by proving yourself every quarter. It is sustained by consistency, integrity, and the capacity to make hard decisions without collapsing under criticism.

The goal is not to be loud.

It is to be solid.

Feeling inspired? Take the next step in your journey.
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