Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
1
MARCH
2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
A
lot is known and written
in leadership positions not just in
women to come back into their working
about women in leadership. I
traditional part of Corporate India, but
roles after they have taken some time
am going to share some
also in other adjacent areas like law
out for personal reasons. Organisations
emerging perspectives from a corporate
firms, investment banks and even the
are coming up to create networks of
world angle and from my own personal
startup ecosystem.
women. All these look like a thousand
experience. The Big Shift and New Frontiers There has been a big shift in corporate India in the last decade or so. Working for 28 years, I have witnessed this first hand. The topic of ‘women in leadership positions in corporate India,’ has now come into popular and public discourse, carrying a lot of attention. There is much thinking in board rooms of progressive companies about how to strengthen women leadership. Over the last ten years, women are
In my own industry, there are
flowers blooming. While we have reason
women bartenders who are coming up
to be optimistic, we can't shy away from
in other parts of the world. We don't see
the fact that there is still a lot to do. The
that a lot in India but it is happening. I
journey has only just started.
also heard about women bouncers in
direction of travel is right and we need
restaurants and bars. These are new
to keep going at it.
frontiers that women are conquering. We know about women in the armed forces, women pilots, and women in sectors such as construction. The work that coaching institutes like CFI have done for women has played a positive role.
The
The Leaky Bucket Syndrome If we look at what is happening in India, we see the famous leaky bucket syndrome. Nearly 50% women are in the tertiary educated graduates’ space and 25%
women
are
entry
level
professionals. But only 4% are in senior
There are initiatives to attract 23
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2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
society in which we are.
A recent study suggested that nearly 80% of women lack confidence at work. Coaches have a key role to play and address this malady and suggest what we can do to really let women lean in
a challenge for them. The imposter
The contribution of women to
syndrome makes women shy away from
India's GDP is just 18% and it is the
taking ownership and responsibility and
second lowest in the list of countries.
getting the pride of achievement. To
Thailand and Vietnam fare at 40% and
change the trajectory of women in
China at 41 percent. So there is a
leadership roles, women must take
problem at a national level and that's
responsibility for themselves and not
again a mirror to what is happening in
feel guilty about ambition and drive. So
broader society. Unfortunately, it is a
there's a lot that women themselves
vicious and a reinforcing cycle of gender
have to do as well.
inequality in our society, which then
Achieving
success
on
gender
leads to and feeds on economic
diversity in corporate India and getting
development and attitudes and beliefs.
more women in leadership positions
All these reinforce each other to result
requires leaders, managers, employees
in gender inequality at work.
and importantly women themselves to
A recent study suggested that
change the way they behave. This is not
nearly 80% of women lack confidence
easy and the process takes time. To
management. Only 11% are women
at work. Coaches have a key role to play
achieve this, I have come out with ten
board members. That is a cause of
and address this malady and suggest
simple commandments.
concern. There is a Companies Act
what we can do to really let women ‘lean
guideline which requires at least one
in,’ as Sheryl Sandberg famously said.
woman
as
companies.
a But
director
on
listed
there
are
many
TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR WOMEN AS LEADERS
Top 3 Obstacles for Women
companies which still don't have that
We have heard that inhibitions keep
1. Believe that diversity is at the
one woman. In many of the family
women back. The top three obstacles for
heart
owned
women in reaching senior roles were
decisions.
companies,
women
board
members are drawn from the family
cited in a study as:
rather than independent professional
a)
Juggling worklife balance
women.
b)
Lack
of
visible
internal
opportunities, and Our Business is Our Mirror Having said that, India Inc., is now willing to pay much more attention to fix the gender diversity problem. But we have miles to go. Fundamentally, business and other places of work will be a reflection of the country and the
c)
of
better
business
Organizations and people must truly believe that the more diverse the people are (diversity not just in gender but
Lack of confidence in their
disabilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity
abilities
and so on), the better you will get at
Some of these come from social
business decisions. When we have more
conditioning as well. More than half the
diverse people around the table, we will
respondents in the study said that
get diverse perspectives, opinions and
managing the negative mindset and
views, lively discussion, heated debate
dealing with the imposter syndrome is
and challenge.
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
Such a process leads to looking at
from the top. As culture in an
target, it's very tempting and easy to fall
or
organization is driven by the CEO and
back on and say that we really tried but
opportunity through multiple lenses,
the top team, the same is true of
it was hard to get women. Targets hold
leading to better business decisions. The
diversity. It should not just be a priority
us to account. If you make them
collective and cumulative impact of
limited to board room or CXO table
somewhat public, it helps to put a
many better business decisions will lead
discussions, but it must be visible. The
constructive tension onto the CEO and
to better performance of companies, as
CEO and executive leadership must take
CXOs to say that we need to get there.
many studies like that of McKinsey &
a
Targets have to be achievable but they
Company, whose findings I have
commitment.
have to be stretched.
3.Targets are a must.
4. Policies are important but not
any
business
situation,
issue
referred to, have shown. 2. Diversity has to be a visible business priority for the CEO and
public
stance
and
make
a
Many male colleagues and friends
sufficient.
have discomfort about targets on gender
There are certain basic policies which
diversity in leadership roles. But in my
are
Diversity in leadership is not the sole
experience, targets are an absolute
companies truly want to make a
responsibility of a few people or the HR
must. It is not easy to get women into
difference, they must be bold. They must
department, though they have an
leadership roles, and there are a lot of
have at least one bestinclass policy and
important role to play. But if you
business challenges and performance
achieve parity on the rest. Flexi hours,
genuinely want to make a step change
pressures on companies and leaders. If
for example, is one of the very big
in an organization, then it has to come
you don't have the dashboard or a
positive developments which a lot of
Executive Leadership.
25
MARCH
2021
almost
foundational.
But
if
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
the business are a must.
commandment. The corporate must
Women leaders in business are very
have a reputation as an employer of
important for furthering the journey of
choice for highquality professionals
women in leadership. Over the last
and high achievers. This is very
decade or so, I realised how important
important because women have to make
it is for women who are still in middle
big opportunity versus cost tradeoffs
and junior levels of management and
when they decide to continue to be in
professional networks to be able to look
their career track. They have other
up to and get inspiration from women
responsibilities at home and, therefore,
on their functional and leadership
more than men for women it is
competencies. They are able to realise
important. If organisations want to
that if X person could get there, so can
draw women in, it’s necessary that they
they! That element of confirmation of
are
possibilities
important,
meritocracy and make women feel that
particularly given what I said earlier
it is their performance and merit that
about women having selfdoubts and
count more than who you know.
companies including my company have
imposter syndrome.
9. Attack unconscious biases.
announced recently. Last year, we
7. External hiring in the short
It
introduced a fourweek paternity leave
term,
sophisticated, exposed, evolved and
policy. These are all very progressive in
development in the longterm.
progressive people can have biases that
External hiring in the short term is
they are totally unconscious about. These
5. Get the MEN leaders from large
important and necessary at the early
unconscious biases manifest themselves
functions into the tent.
starting point of the journey in
in various ways. It could be in terms of
The whole agenda of diversity cannot be
organisations, because you simply don't
choosing or not choosing women for
driven in any organization only by
have enough women in the leadership
certain roles; it could result in certain
women. We have to get the men leaders
roles. But for the long term, there must
kinds of micro aggressions as a behaviour
who
in
be sustained talent development, so
at workplace which put off women, more
organisations; for instance, commercial,
there are enough women in the
than men. Organisations must attack
manufacturing and finance teams. We
leadership pipeline who can then move
these biases. Women and coaches have
have to get them on board, ideally on a
into senior roles. Here again, coaches
to play a role there as well.
voluntary basis. The fact is that men still
have a key role to play.
10. Culture, Culture, Culture!
dominate positions of leadership; and
8. Corporate reputation as an
This is like the big ‘aha’ of an
unless we get them in, we cannot have
employer of choice for high
organization. Everything boils down to
the sustained change and commitment
performers.
the culture of an organization. It must
It is incredible how even very sophisticated, exposed, evolved and progressive people can have biases that they are totally unconscious about. These unconscious biases manifest themselves in various ways.
nature.
lead
large
functions
to this agenda. 6. Role model women leaders in
is
very
sustained
talent
I've taken the liberty of putting my own company Diageo as an example of this 26
MARCH
2021
seen
is
as
progressive,
incredible
how
respect
even
very
not just attract but retain men and women; the culture must enable women
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
to flourish and take leadership positions. For an enabling culture, four aspects are important:
Value people, not hierarchy.
Provide
an
inclusive
environment. Encourage people to be themselves without the need to act in artificial avatars.
Culture must be performance driven.
The
visceral
feel
of
the
organisation
must
be
inspirational
and
not
transactional. I have been part of this journey in a company, in an industry, which is seen to be a male bastion. We have three women out of eight in the executive positions. In the next level of leadership, ten out of 28 people are women. We have moved the dial from 7.5% about six years ago in terms of the proportion of women among the total employees to 20%, which is, hard to achieve in a large company like ours, but we have got there. These Ten Commandments have all played a role in getting us to where we are. In my company, I am very proud to say that women are in very influential and key positions. They are there in multiple functions. We just clocked hundred women in our manufacturing team, which is really difficult to attain. If it can be done in a beverage alcohol company, like Diageo India, it can be done anywhere!
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2021