Trying to achieve a work/life balance might feel like a losing game for working women at times, but one of the keys to success is about giving both areas quality time over quantity.That was the word from Cheryl-Ann Lister a board director at HSBC Bank Bermuda, who last week spoke at a panel discussion held at the bank’s Harbourview location.Ms Lister said she was blessed with support from her husband and family while climbing the corporate ladder, but didn’t always get the work-life balance right.“Sometimes I was better at it than others, but being conscious of it is absolutely key. I am passionate about everything I do and I try as much [as possible] to really say to my children and make sure that where I sacrifice with the quantity of time, I make up with quality. When I am with them I really focus on them.”Even at her busiest times, she said she tried to devote Sunday afternoons to bike riding or playing lawn games with her family.Ms Lister joined other influential women leaders at the informative panel discussion last week.Also on hand were Deborah Hazell, the Regional CEO (North America) of HSBC’s Global Asset Management; Marcia Woolridge Allwood, the Director of Banking, Trust and Investment at the Bermuda Monetary Authority and Kirsten Faria, the Senior Vice President and International Healthcare Head at firm Allied World.Together they tackled questions about the glass ceiling, how to achieve that ideal work-life balance and discussed whether women have to be aggressive to get ahead in the corporate world.The event was hosted by the Women's Development Association, which was formed in 2008 to ensure the bank’s female employees were empowered with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to grow and develop, both professionally and personally.Ms Faria said the idea of “having it all” might really be more of a misnomer. “I think fundamentally what people are talking about is just balance,” she said. “Although we feel it in a more pronounced way than men, I don’t think balance is exclusively a female issue.“I absolutely think as the society around us transforms everyone is grappling with it, but in the end to be strong and be successful I don’t have to give up all the things that are important to me, whether it’s work, my son, my personal life or personal pursuits [of] playing sports.“All of those make up the fabric of me and are very important to me. I think what is [key] is to be 100 percent in the moment, in regards to quality time.”After becoming mother to eight-year-old Jonah, she said she had to be transparent and honest with her boss about her situation. While she might not always be visible in the office after 5pm, that doesn’t mean she is not producing a good work product.The same “compromise” has to be made with her home life, she said. “You don’t have to go every single event after work but go to some, and similarly make sure you are there for important moments of your child’s life.“But I have really had to teach myself [that] it’s not the end of the world if I am not there at Jonah’s class assembly. I am there at every other event and his father will be there or someone will be there for him, it doesn’t always have to be me.”When Ms Woolridge-Allwood was asked whether she believed there was a “glass ceiling” women reach when it comes to the reaching the top of the corporate world, she agreed there were barriers.She said in her experience men and women were often judged differently in the business arena.Ms Woolridge-Allwood said women could remove the glass ceiling by having more formal and informal discussions like these to push their interests ahead. But they also have to be honest with themselves about why they don’t succeed.“Our goals change,” she explained, “Wanting to be a CEO of an organisation might not be what one really wants in their life anymore.“As your life changes, as you start having a family or hearing from your family members about the things that [you missed] because you dedicated yourself to your job you start to redefine what your career goal is.”She said it was important to keep high values and maintain high standards in the workplace, but added: “You don’t want to interview your daughter 20 years down the road and hear about things she resents you for.“They are sometimes very small, but they hurt nonetheless, so I think we need to be honest if we want to go through the glass ceiling or if we can be leaders with our own responsibility and still achieve the same reward.“Being a CEO means you have the media attention, you take all the blame when something goes wrong and live in the success if it goes well. As a team leader you can be in charge of that success and have a lot of control over that ... This is not me pitching not to go there [to the executive level], but remember what you are buying when you do.”Ms Faria said her personality was quite the opposite to Ms Hazell and over time she had to learn to be less aggressive in the workplace.She said she has to prioritise her professional growth and would sometimes sit down with her bosses and break down why she thought she deserved a promotion.“I made my pitch and my case to him, I didn’t necessarily always get promoted, but I put in on the radar and I showcased to him why I thought it was really important for me and how I thought I was bettering the company as a result.“I call that ‘being an advocate for yourself’ and I think it’s very important to put yourself as a priority, because after all if you don’t prioritise yourself, who will?”