"My best advice for women who want to advance to senior positions is to avoid self-pity," said Sigal Bar Zvi, head of the Operations Division of the Israel Police and the highest-ranking woman in the police, speaking at the International Women's Day event at Wolfson Medical Center.
Talking a bit about her early life, Bar Zvi said that she was quite "dominant and ambitious" even at a young age. "I quickly realized how important leadership is as a tool for life," she added.
Her mother, she continued, was a huge model for her. She, too, shattered glass ceilings, leading her daughter down the path to do the same.
Bar Zvi is a pioneer for females in defense
Bar Zvi did indeed shatter glass ceilings. She was the first woman to become regional commander in Israel Police, the first woman to reach the position of the deputy division commander, and now, the first woman at the rank of superintendent to hold an operational role.
These many positions, especially for a male-led organization like the police, have forced Bar Zvi to face many a challenge.
"In times of crisis and in moments of weakness, my refuge has been to focus on the performance data of my unit and achieve excellence," Bar Zvi said.
Israel Police has been facing a wide range of criticism, from the right-wing end claiming that the officers are not being effective enough to the left-wing claiming that the police is being illegitimately abusive towards anti-judicial reform protesters.