Nanda Burke – A Leader Who Embraces Mistakes as Learning Opportunities

Nanda Burke has had a “weird career,” or at least that’s how she describes it. Today, she is the Chief Learning, OD & Data Analytics Officer for Shell, but she didn’t set out to become an Executive Vice President at a big organization. She says “it’s a very nice side effect” of the fun journey she has been on doing things she loves.?

Nanda started her career on a win. While studying Business Economics, she won a competition that enabled her to choose her first job. Nanda picked the highly prized opportunity to join the marketing department of an international consumer goods company??

After six years at the international consumer goods company, Nanda was up for promotion and got asked the question that changed her life, “Do you want to be the brand manager for vegetables or snacks?”?

Know What Energizes You?

As she sat with this question, Nanda realized she had no idea why she would pick one opportunity over the other or why she was even there in that role. To help herself decide which path to follow, she thought through what energizes her. What she discovered about herself was that she...?

1. Loves complexity, chaos & problem solving?
2. Needs space and a mandate to operate??
3. Loves looking at the big picture and formulating strategy?
4. Is excited when there is an opportunity to apply the strategy and deliver results?
5. Is fulfilled when she can be the wind beneath others’ wings and can empower people??

Once Nanda had her list, she made her career choice and took neither job. Instead, she chose her next opportunity based on how well it matched what energizes her. Choosing from her passion instead of following a more typical functional path, Nanda opted for a role in the head office working to activate the company’s employee brand. While she never imagined herself in a job at headquarters, let alone an HR position, there was a serious challenge that needed solving, the nature of the problem was strategic, and it involved supporting employee success. Nanda had found a role that energized her!?

Learn from Your Mistakes?

Throughout her career, Nanda has chosen opportunities based on her list. Except once, when she chose a position she thought she “should take” because it was the “right opportunity." Turns out that was a mistake. And Nanda is no stranger to mistakes. She readily admits, “I’ve made every mistake in the book even the ugly, stupid ones.”?

Nanda cherishes her mistakes for what they’ve taught her. "Every time you learn something about yourself, you raise your bar,” she likes to say. And Nanda is committed to raising everyone’s bar, especially for other women leaders. She thinks women operate in a system that encourages us to short-change ourselves. “We must be cognizant and critical of the system so we can change it.”?

Challenge the System and Yourself?

Nanda's advice for challenging and changing the system and yourself is simple:?

1. Don’t believe all the leader glory stories. It is revisionist history— careers aren’t built on talent and hard work only, there is a fair portion of luck and coincidence involved?
2. You will mess up. Failure is a feature of learning, so be more relaxed about your mistakes. Perfection takes too much energy.?
3. Have fun! Find your own list, then strive to keep your work aligned with what energizes you.??

Interested in learning more from Nanda? Join NIIT Principal Consultant Pooja Singh Mehta, Nanda, and the panel of other women leaders for “From Glass Slippers to Glass Ceilings | Celebrating Women Leaders in Learning” on March 30, 2022 at 10 AM Eastern time. Click here to register.?