How female leaders harness the power of personal branding and like-minded tribes

In this episode of Borderless Executive Live, our host Els De Cremer, founding partner of Borderless, is joined by Reshma Ramachandran , former Chief Transformation Officer at Adecco, and current Non-Executive Director of ISS A/S and Oxford Instruments.

Discussing the lack of female representation in C-suite, they share their thoughts and experiences on how ambitious women can carve out their own path in the workplace.

?Establishing your personal brand

First, Reshma emphasizes the importance of building your own personal brand.

Disruptive technological advances such as AI, mean that current skills and experiences have a shelf life; they may no longer be sufficient to stand out in the job market. Additionally, working for the same organization until retirement is a luxury today’s generation of workers can no longer rely on.

Keeping this in mind, Reshma emphasizes that the time to build a personal brand for women is NOW.

“In a world drowning in information, how are you going to be found if you’re not visible? If you don’t know your values, how are you going to match with an organization? It’s important to carve out a niche for yourself. Build on your skills and expand your network. Be visible. Become your own biggest ambassador.”

Reshma acknowledges that many women still feel reluctant to do so. Some fear being labelled bossy and aggressive in advocating for themselves. Others are hesitant about self-promotion when working for an organization. In response, Reshma emphasizes the value of authenticity.

“I rebel against the idea that we must have a different personality outside of work. That’s completely defying your authentic self. You need to identify with the values of a company, and they need to identify with yours. If there’s not a match, then that’s not the space for you.”

Build your tribe of like-minded and like-actioned women

Second, Reshma urges female leaders to build their tribe.?

As a woman at the intersection of gender and ethnicity, Reshma has had her fair share of direct and indirect bias. The group of women she has gathered around her has allowed her to share and normalize those experiences.

“As women, we often see ourselves as the problem, and we’re focused on fixing ourselves. But it’s not us, it’s the system. Talking about shared experiences helps me to see that I’m not the problem.”

To Reshma, creating a sense of belonging and validation is what has allowed her to grow. “Look for like-minded and similarly motivated people and build your tribe. They will lift you up any time you hit a low.”

Ambition is not a dirty word

Reshma believes that what will ultimately help drive progress and boost representation of female leadership, is women fully and unapologetically embracing their ambition.

“Don’t feel guilty about your ambition. Be brave and bold enough to speak about it. There is power in numbers. The more of us who talk about it, the less the system can shut us down. So, don’t keep quiet about your ambition,” Reshma states.

“Make yourself visible and be your own sponsor. We own our future. Take control, go out there, and be authentic and genuine.”

To learn more, read the full article here .

Or listen to the full episode of the podcast on YouTube , Spotify , or Apple .

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