Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders - A Message to Aspiring Women in Leadership

I recently spoke at the “Women Leading Purposefully” online seminar hosted by Mars. This event marked the 20th cohort of an ongoing initiative by Mars to cultivate a powerful community of women who are making a significant impact within the organization. I spoke about my journey and the lessons I learned along the way. My message is centered on the importance of fostering personal and business growth, driving innovation, and developing the new capabilities needed to shape the future.

Know your ‘why’!

“I want to leave you all with a couple of important thoughts. Know ‘why’ you do the things that you do. Be clear that there is no such thing as a private life and a work life. That separation tends to cause stress, especially since now, we can work from anywhere. Business is made up of people — and we cannot just turn it on and off. So always be consistent and know your ‘why’.”

“Early on in my career, as a woman, I would draw a sharp line between private and professional life. I came to work dressed a certain way, never spoke about family or my kids — because men didn’t do that. Today, while there is still scope for improvement, we can all be authentically ourselves in the workplace. We have come a long way in terms of that.” And we are finding that not just women, but men as well want to talk about family!

Raise your hand!

“In 2010 my boss asked me where I want to go and what I want to do going forward. I told her I would do whatever she thought was best and what was best for the business and the organization. Do you know what she told me? She said that was a weakness. She explained that if I want to grow and develop in this organization and want them to trust me with millions of dollars of budget, I first need to be clear with what I want to do. If I am not even clear about my own goals, how could I make recommendations to the business? This was a revelation for me.”

Who is your best friend at work?

“Who is your best friend at work? Who gives you energy? On a piece of paper write down who your best friend at work is. In other words, who can you talk to and get advice and really wants you to win! Write down who you need to help you get your job done. These folks are critical in making you successful in your current role, and potentially in future. Write down who takes “the energy” from you. When your mobile rings, and you see the person’s name, how is your reaction? It is better to be honest and focus your time on the who/what gives you joy. So be exquisitely selfish and know who your allies are, and who do you want to ally with. When you have energy, it becomes a two-way street — giving as well as getting.

Create Space

“Ensure you create a space where you can bring in a diversity of thought and experience. If you want everyone around you to simply agree with you, you don’t even need a team. You need people around you who will challenge you, and even make you uncomfortable at times because that is when you will grow.”

Take care of yourself

“My final piece of advice is to always make sure that you are taking care of yourself. You are worth it.”