If you’ve read out earlier feature which covered the top 10 Indian businesswomen
last year, then you’ll find this post to be more of an extension of the
same. What are the qualities that what have gotten Indian women to the
top spots of India Inc? Is it just about having a tough facade,
compromising on family or having IIM/IIT degrees that allow them to
skyrocket? No, there’s much more to that. Let’s find out.
Accepting that you will not be a star at work and at home
It’s only natural for women to not be able to give their 100 percent
at their households and their workplace. If there’s an important board
meeting the next day for which you have to prepare through the night,
you simply can’t juggle entertaining your husband’s family for dinner
simultaneously, for instance. As Business Today
reports, Naina Lal Kidwai, HSBC’s India Head believes that this
attitude is missing in urban women who still attempt to do-it- all. It’s
okay to set up an alternative support system, ask for help and start by
admitting that you can’t handle both equally if not less or more. That
way, Indian women at work can start setting their priorities easily.
These top Indian businesswomen affirm this quality:
"Shared responsibilities are the only way more women will pursue careers."
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon [Source]
“It’s better to spend quality time with your child, than spend the day after work cooking.”
- Renu Sud Karnad, Joint Managing Director and Member of the Board of HDFC Ltd[Source]
Not to accept or ask for any pity as a woman
Bunking work on the day of an important presentation in order to
attend your child’s first annual day is probably not an option for women
who want to climb that corporate rung. Although paid maternity leave /
arrangements are arriving in India slowly, corporates don’t allow for
extra time or a loose hand being given to employees just because they
are female. Take for example, ICICI. Quoted in a Business Today report, K. Ramkumar, Head of HR at ICICI Bank says
"We do nothing. There is no chivalry, no kid gloves, there are no affirmative action committees. Your system has to be a pure meritocracy. No woman can play the woman card’.
Be on the top of your game
"My passion lies in the pursuit of excellence – can I do it very well, better than others?"
- Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank [Source]
This lady who can also ‘command an army’, as Business Today
reports, is a perfect example of what focus and excellence are all
about. As the CEO of ICICI Bank, each second of her day is scheduled for
and planned, including the time taken by the elevator to reach her
floor. K V Kamath recalls that when he newly hired Kochhar, she achieved
her annual target in the very first quarter.
On the other hand Mallika Srinivasan, Tractors and Farm Equipment CEO
recalls that whilst she was studying for her MBA from Wharton, she used
to have her young daughter in tow, and would study in the laundry room
because the hum of the washing machines helped her to concentrate.
Anjali Bansal, Managing Director, Spencer Stuart India, thinks that
women who are poised to be successful have a killer work ethic and
according to Shailja Dutt, MD, Stellar Search, "Letting anything slip is
not an option", as reported by BT. These examples only point towards the fact that being a master of your expertise/area is a critical quality to have.
Don’t expect to please everyone
One quality that most top women in the Indian corporate space
acknowledge is that woman needs to lose their nurturing side of obliging
to keep everyone happy. You’ve got to be hard as nails and be ready to
the extent of making some enemies in the workplace. For one, women in
corporate India still face the wrath and envy of many men if they are
climbing the ladder too quickly and secondly, trying to subvert the
stereotype of being soft and submissive may tend to make female
employees extra aggressive and hence piss people off.
Don’t give up easily
Most women in the corporate space give up when they have their first
child in the age group of 25 to 35. The overwhelming workload combined
with unsupportive families becomes a quick and easy reason for them to
lose their cool and call it quits. But most of the top women you see in
the Indian corporate space today are married, have children and yet have
survived this tumultuous phase in their lives. The best way to deal
with this is to think about where you will be in the next 5 years. Your
responsibilities for your children would have decreased and you would be
5 years richer of work experience and perhaps a senior position. Would
you want to let all of this go because of a hasty decision?
Vinita Bali, MD, Britannia has the last fair word:
"I think this gender thing is a bit overplayed. Ultimately, it is competence, skills, attitude and ability to lead that matter."
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