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the-south-asian.com April 2004 |
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April 2004 Wildlife
Paragpur
- India's 1st
Corporate Talk
Books Lehngas - a limited collection Books Between
Heaven and Hell
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Page 2 of 2 POWER WOMEN REV UP ON THE CORPORATE HIGHWAY (cntd.) by Mukesh Khosla
Goal-Oriented Jyoti Mahendru, Vice President—HR and Training at the Barista Coffee Company Ltd. has also never had to tackle any gender issues. On the contrary, she says, whenever there’s a woman leader the team becomes more cohesive and goal-oriented. " Women have been as successful as men in every field. Today’s professional woman is confident and assertive in whatever field she chooses for herself," says Ms. Mahendru who started her career as a Management Trainee with Tata Infomedia (then called Tata Press). She later moved on to Escorts, then Star India and from there she became a part of the founder team of Barista. " In the initial phase the
key challenge was to put systems and procedures in place, attract talent for
a company that was only a concept at that stage. Now the challenge is to
train, retain, motivate and develop over 550 employees spread across 22
cities and 130 outlets," she says and adds, " Work is no pressure
as the organization has literally been created by our own hands."
Dr. Uma Tuli is also a doer in the real sense of the term. Though not in the private sector, she is independent India’s first non-IAS person to be appointed as Chief Commissioner---one of the most coveted posts, which is usually reserved for the crème-de-la-crème of the bureaucracy. But in April 2001 the Indian government specially chose Dr. Tuli for the post of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities. Dr. Tuli doesn’t fuss about being the first non-IAS woman to achieve this feat. " If a man can do the job, so can a woman." She adds that the modern professional woman is more committed, more dedicated and has the required drive for any challenging job she gets into. And she should know. Dr. Tuli has a three-decade experience of teaching at the Universities of Delhi and Gwalior. She is also the founder of Amarjyoti Charitable Trust, a voluntary organization working for the rehabilitation of orthopaedically handicapped. As chief commissioner she has taken new initiatives that include promotion of inclusive education, ensuring employment and creating barrier free environment for the disabled. " As a woman you must clearly know what you can do and most importantly what is the right time to do that," says Dr. Tuli who holds a Ph.D and has done her Masters in Special Education. This year she has been instrumental in holding the Abilympics for the first time in India. Indeed the millennium has heralded the era of the upwardly mobile women who are occupying top positions. So, how did it all start? Why are more and more women getting into professional colleges and then picking up prized jobs at salaries ordinary mortals can just dream about? Galileo’s Ms. Luthra feels there are three reasons for the new phenomenon. " The first is the emergence of nuclear families and increasing cost of living. Then there’s a corporate realization that a woman manager is sensitive and caring. And finally, quite simply, India Inc is maturing!" Ms. Bajpai of HBO feels that women have the tenacity to balance both personal and professional pressures, which men grossly lack. This gives them an edge over male colleagues. Moreover, she says, "Women are better listeners or sounding boards. They are more mature in handling things and are able to deal with complex issues and juggle multiple priorities." She contributes the success of corporate high flyers to the ambitious goals they set for themselves. " The Indian woman has come of age. The last few years have seen an increase in the levels of education, confidence and most importantly, ambition in women, who are going all out to claim their rightful place in the corporate landscape. The professional woman has set very high standards for herself. She has changed the way she used look at herself, and this has changed the way the world looks at her. The days of the proverbial glass ceiling are over!" Gruelling Schedules However, Ms. Mahendru of Barista feels that the reason why more and more women are opting for gruelling schedules and demanding careers is that families have now begun to accept working women and therefore they have started exploring job options and are making a success of it. And both Ms. Luthra and Ms. Bajpai say there is no secret formula for professional success – It’s commitment, consistent performance and God's grace. " Don't be afraid to dream big and turn those dreams into reality. Work pressures are a part of the game." And it is this corporate philosophy that sets these ladies apart. Management expert Sanjeeb Dasgupta says most of the women who rapidly ascend the corporate ladder are usually the smartest brains in the workplace who work to specific targets. They have a refreshingly imaginative approach to complex corporate problems. Their day starts early and ends late and at times they just come home to slump in bed. But aren’t there any heartburns, no envy when sometimes the wife’s pay cheque is bigger than the husband's? Do the husbands take kindly to a wife being more successful than them? No, say many of these ladies who are married. With more and more women taking up top end jobs the War of the Roses has receded to the background. Says Citibank’s Ms. Thukral, " My husband has been extremely supportive and has encouraged me to continue working. We look at life with dual career objectives. We enjoy working and we enjoying de-stressing with the family." Once considered a problem of men, stress from such high powered jobs is becoming second nature to some of these high fliers. A 12 to 14 hour working day, inadequate relaxation and constant travelling leaves them little time for themselves. So how do these senior executives combat stress? For Ms. Gupta of the South
African Airways the perfect de-stresser is a dip in a pool, dancing and
yoga. She also enjoys pottering in the kitchen. Despite her busy
schedules she prefers to be a home bird. " I try spending as much time
as possible with my family as my work entails being away from them very
often. My favorite travel destination would undoubtedly be South
Africa!" HBO’s Shruti Bajpai has an unusual stress point. " Everything is great at the workplace. Personally the only thing that stresses me is the family pressure to do something with my life and settle down. It is very hard to explain to a parent that getting married may be the beginning of life's problems and not the answer to them!"
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