Happy Holidays. Here is why I am optimistic about 2022.

“I savor life. When you have anything that threatens life... it prods you into stepping back and really appreciating the value of life and taking from it what you can.”

- Sonia Sotomayor

Can’t believe it. 2021 is almost over. Too. I am not sure if I processed 2020 yet. Yet… my actions and behaviors changed profoundly; my thoughts and beliefs are still trying to catch up. As cliché as it may sound, being close to death does bring clarity and focus. ?5.4 million people died from Covid as of today. All of us got close to death somehow; either we had the virus ourselves, watched a close one pass away, or supported others grieving. As I look towards the new year, I have been asking myself a long list of questions and thinking about the actions I should take:

·??????Am I having my most meaningful and maximum impact? …If not, step up now.

·??????Am I seeing technology being misused or manipulated? …If yes, embrace the technology and help shape its rules, standards, and regulations now. ?

·??????Am I experiencing misconduct?or observing others being mistreated? …If yes, speak up and ‘clean up' now.

The list goes on. The Pandemic and everything that came with it woke me up and allowed me to absorb life in ways I never was able to do before. It taught me to truly appreciate the ‘now’ and make the most of it for myself and those around me.

This is why I am optimistic about 2022. It may be just another year, but it is likely to prove more meaningful and impactful than all the previous years for me, given my focus on ‘now’ and ‘quality’ over quantity more than ever.?

I am a visual person, so I tend to stick to my ‘Vision Board’ instead of ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ lists. Every now and then, I update its tiles. For instance, three tiles have been there for a long time: Meaningful, impactful, compassionate leadership in ‘disruptive tech,’ ‘diversity & inclusion,’ and ‘intersection of education and technology' (e.g., digital upskilling).

During a recent ‘forest bath’ and reflection walk, I shuffled a few things in my mind and added ‘Responsible AI’ to my Vision Board. ?Ensuring fairness, reliability & safety, and inclusivity to safeguard the dignity of us, humans, is so essential to my day job that I realized I could not possibly be at peace with seeing AI scale ‘irresponsibly.’ The calling must have been strong because the next day, I was asked to lead our efforts for operationalizing Responsible AI (RAI) across my division, a 90,000-people strong sales organization. I am pretty sure a good chunk of my brain- and heart-power will go into operationalizing RAI in 2022. I am thrilled to step into this opportunity because I believe there is tremendous value and meaning in enabling our employees, customers, and partners to implement RAI practices, standards, and culture.

As an action that addresses one of the questions I raised earlier, I have also joined my organization’s culture governance committee dedicated to advancing Microsoft’s inclusivity and growth mindset culture within our team. According to a recent study by Glassdoor, nearly two-thirds of employees listed culture as one of the most important reasons for staying with their current employer or starting to look for another job! I look forward to making a tangible positive impact on our culture where each team member feels respected, valued, and empowered to be their best selves at work. Bringing out the best in my teams, both in terms of high performance but also having fun & creating collective memories, has always been a passion for me. I see my role in the culture committee as a platform to scale this powerful ‘magic’ of teams. ?

Finally, for the education tile, I look forward to my continued contribution as a NED on the Board of Creative Education Trust and its Finance and Education Committees. This outstanding trust oversees 17 primary and secondary schools and provides a better chance in life to more than 13,000 students living in underprivileged regions of the U.K. The Pandemic made us, the Board members, more driven than ever to close the inequality gaps by providing better education to the masses. For me, this role fuels my goal of giving the best gift in life, a good education (which was something I was fortunate to get, thanks to my sponsors and scholarships), back to those who need it now.

I am grateful for all these ‘tiles’ that enrich not only my professional life but also my personal one and give my time on Earth so much more meaning. I am grateful for the mass awakening that the Pandemic imposed on us. I am also thankful for the sense of urgency other crises such as climate change instilled on us, in parallel. Yes, of course, it would have been better if none of these had happened, but I think we will become better individuals and a better society as we address these issues. Finally, I am already grateful to 2022 for whatever learnings, growth, and impact opportunities it will bring. It has my word that I will make the most of them.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and optimistic New Year! ?

PS: After I drafted this blog, I learned that I was announced as one of the 50 trailblazers by WeAreTheCity for my efforts in #GenderEquality. There could not have been a more meaningful New Year's gift. As my close friends and family know, there have been many instances where I have experienced or witnessed bias or un-inclusive behavior, and I have made it my mission to help others feel welcomed, heard, and embraced. ?With this, I thank and applaud all #changemakers in similar situations.

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