What CEO means to me

Eid Mubarak everyone. As we move into a long weekend, I am excited about the Ugadi meet up with my extended family over the weekend. Will be off social media from tomorrow, busy with the festivities of Bisu. It’s the beauty of these amazing festivals we celebrate in India so in sync with Nature that reaffirms to me that our ancestors were clear on how we need to integrate Nature as part of existence. Somewhere in the name of progress we seem to have lost touch. Time to reflect & take charge by living more mindfully. How do we become the CEO of our life?

Was part of an amazing conference “ Being CEO Ready” over the last weekend. Designed & Curated by Supria Dhanda , it was a conference with a beautiful intent.There were many take aways for everyone & it was a day well spent. I saw the magic of intent meeting purpose on an action packed day. Reflecting on the day sharing here : about the the idea behind the conference, how the day panned out and? What “CEO” meant for me by the end? of the day. Thank you Aparna C ? for bringing me on as an anchor!

My conversation with Supria the Founder of BAGGGEL Foundation- Creating Balanced World and co-founder of venture fund Wyser was an interesting one. With over two decades of experience she has been in the role of a CEO of a tech company and this is the space she understands. She wanted to share all she knew.? Unapologetic, frank, compassionate & articulate Supria was very? clear in making “Being CEO Ready”, her flagship conference, as the first step in creating the awareness to women.The absence of women in boardrooms when she was CEO got her to think on how can she play the role of a catalyst? to strive for a balanced workspace. Thus was born @Bagggel Foundation.What is a typical day in the life? of a CEO? It’s always Busy , right? Therefore in her design & curation too, she was determined to do full justice? to an experience into a day in the? life of a CEO. A lot of thought going into the? title of each keynote & panel discussion. While we spoke, I remembered Michelle Obama’s words, “It’s not about being perfect . It is about where you get yourself in the end. There is power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.”?

Loved how the BAGGGEL members came forward to own the conference & the participation of all stalwarts from the industry was proof of how well network was leveraged. It was magic unfolding for me, minute by minute. The various elements of leadership, mentoring, allyship, sisterhood, passion and Humility were all visible. The journey to the top is always full of challenges and like Warren Buffett said, "The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself. The more you learn, the more you will earn.”? It was a day full of learning from the best in the industry. ?

The Acronym CEO for me was a 3 step process to bring out the leader in you. CHANGE , EVOLVE, OBSERVE

Change: “Things do not change; we change.” Henry David Thoreau

Clearly the only constant in our lives is change. Important therefore to be comfortable with it. The keynotes by Vasanthi Srinivasan & Pankajam Sridevi set the tone for what we need as women - choice! That is what we need to grow especially when we are in our comfort zones. The day began with the need for allyship was all about. The four qualities in an ally are : Yielding, Listening Learning and action . Sunil Arora was articulate on Men as sponsors & Supportive partners. The Fireside chat hosted by Supria with ?@Avdesh was on decoding the CEO Playbook. Where he clearly stated that at senior leadership levels it is not gender biased but? more on diversity of thought and skill that matters. What is being looked for is Cross functional expertise.

Evolve: “Always learn, adapt and evolve." Diego Sanchez

Such an important element for growth. There is no evolution without your willingness to adapt & educate the self. The? panel discussion on Success Strategies of CEO with?Lalit?Manjunatha?Ruchika?Nirupama spoke on why it is important to take risks and fail. The need for courage is also very important as much as leveraging connections and commitment. The need was to keep the curiosity and discipline alive to progress here. Well begun is half done was the third keynote with Leadership Insights. Beautifully showcased by Aparna Athreya who reminded us that the first step was Think Big and after the evolution of thoughts and action, it is starting, even if it is small that matters.

Observe:? “To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” Marilyn vos Savant

An essential part of the evolution process, observation is a crucial must have. Observe not only what is happening outside of you but what is shifting within. Spending that time with the self and connecting to the self are key.?

In the course of discussion of? Unveiling the blueprint of success, the panel comprising? Sajit?Emmanuel?Richard?Aparna C had some amazing takeaways.? There is at least 25% increase in profit when there were more than 3 women on a board and the greatest quality is to be a good human being first. The thoughts continued in the next panel discussions “CXO strategies for success- Journey to the top Voices of CXOs” with Pankaj?Shalini?Dr. Rohini Srivathsa?Ramya, where the sentence? Leadership is a mindset stayed with me. Added to that the anti fragility mode that was beautifully explored.The road less traveled- how you create your own path with Vijaya Deepti P H?Amit?Satyakam was a journey on self awareness, building of both skill & credibility.Speed mentoring with Neeraja Ganesh & Manisha Singh was where the participants had a taste of being mentored by the best in the industry, We moved to BAGGGEL Power talks. Manisha?Sowmya?Sowmya shared amazing cues on how to establish a personal connect with the sisterhood and not social media.?

When Supria came up to conclude, I saw the smile of satisfaction where intent met action. I saw Dr. Steve Maraboli’s words in action that whole day, “The Universe doesn’t give you what you ask for with your thoughts; it gives you what you demand with your actions.”

Would love to know what CEO as an acronym means to you.

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SELFI is a newsletter where I share my reflections on life. Moments where some simple elements stayed on to create a SELFI moment! Moments that force the #voiceinme to express. Do subscribe if you like what you read and do share it with anyone you think will benefit!

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