Women Of The C-Suite: Shaily Baranwal Of Elevate K-12 On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive
An Interview With Sara Connell
I believe the first thing is that nothing, in your personal or professional life, is going to be linear. You can move step by step and then a big crater is going to fall on your head. You have to learn to deal with those craters and keep moving. Nothing in life comes without issues and the people who are successful have devised a methodology to deal with the issues and still continue moving without letting it get to their heads. People who let failures get them down, I think they have to proactively recognize that and work with counselors or advisors to learn about failures.
As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite” , we had the pleasure of interviewing Shaily Baranwal.
Shaily Baranwal is the Founder-CEO of Elevate K-12. She started Elevate K-12 with a passion for bringing high-quality synchronous instruction to K-12 schools to solve the teacher shortage crisis. The company has experienced a 150% growth YoY and offers over 50 different subjects to schools in 26 states via livestream. Shaily is a non-conformist, disrupting the status quo to truly make an impact in the educational field and beyond. Prior to starting Elevate K-12, Shaily was a management consultant at AT Kearney and has founded both a chain of pre-schools and a chain of restaurants in India; her restaurant chain was acquired by India’s largest food and beverage conglomerate, Dabur.
Shaily holds degrees in Industrial Engineering and Early Childhood Education, as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. She is on the board of the University of Michigan Zell Lurie Institute and advises the development of students who want to take and continue on the path to entrepreneurship. In her free time, Shaily enjoys reading, diving, and surfing.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I have been an extreme nonconformist my entire life, if the whole world is moving in a certain direction I have no interest in doing that. That was not easy for my Indian parents but they did a fantastic job at letting me carve my own path with some guardrails around it. Since I was a child, I have questioned everything.
As a child, I had ADHD and speech therapy issues. Even though I couldn’t talk until I was in grade seven or eight, I promised myself that I was going to be the best speaker that India had ever seen. By the time I was 16, I won a state and a national level public speaking competition. I think a lot of my life and backstory has been about fighting for myself which allowed me to become fearless and to believe in myself. I continue to plow through when I believe in something because I learned early on in my life that when I worked hard, and when I believed in myself, I got a win. This also made me an introvert, but that’s just who I am.
As a college student I pursued engineering, partly because of my parents’ wishes, and became an industrial production engineer. My father, who is also an entrepreneur, wanted me to join him at his healthcare equipment company in India. After a year of working with him, I realized that it was not my passion. Unsure of what I truly wanted to do, I decided to explore anything that came my way, I was in a music band, I did theater, I was doing street plays. I was just trying to find myself when I stumbled upon teaching. On a whim, I enrolled in an early childhood education course and I fell in love with it, and I still do.
When I first started that course is when I would say my life really started. After working as a teacher for a few years, I enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Michigan and was offered an entrepreneurial scholarship after joining school and when the university saw my entrepreneurial drive and desire to not conform. The University of Michigan really helped me find and develop my own path. It was remarkable! As a part of the local junior achievement program, I started voluntarily teaching in the local Ann Arbor public schools. This is when I got the idea for Elevate K-12. Elevate K-12 was my internship project that I used to test whether or not students can learn interactively via livestream and the project won the University of Michigan’s 2007 Business Challenge. Elevate K-12 evolved into my side project for several years during a time when I was working in management consulting. I then went back to India in 2010 where I started a chain of pre-schools and a chain of restaurants. Due to unforeseen circumstances in my life, I exited from those businesses, sold one of them and came back to my dream project, Elevate K-12. From there I converted it into a high growth company that is transforming classrooms — which is where we are now.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
When I was starting Elevate K-12 in 2015/2016, I didn’t know much about the American K-12 system. A lot of my American friends, family and professors said things like, “Are you crazy? You want to sell to the K-12 market even though you know how hard it is to break in?” It was very interesting to me how fearful people were to challenge the mindset of educators in that category. My understanding was that they had a problem and if there is a problem in the market, I am going to bring the best solution. I’m building this company to solve those problems by listening to the customer and creating products. I was supported by a lot of amazing superintendents very early on who gave me an opportunity and embraced my solution with open arms. There is no place for fear in innovation and when solving problems. You just have to listen and be agile.
In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
Over the years, as my role in the company and my role as a leader has evolved, how I manage stress has also changed. Initially, I do not think I managed it well. When there were 10,000 things upon me, I moved very fast and I expected everyone else to do the same. I’ve learned now, it’s not always possible. There are a couple of things that I do now to help manage stress. First, as a leader, I think it is very important to have a counselor or a therapist. I commit myself to one hour per week and I have different coaches and advisors that serve different needs. I utilize someone for strategy, someone for my personal mental mindfulness, someone for marketing, someone for sales and so on. Many of my clients have taught me the importance of compassionate leadership so, surrounding myself with people I believe in and trust has been a big factor of my evolution. One of the things that I just started about a year ago is meditation. I am a very high energy person and meditation has been a game changer, even if it is for only 15 minutes a day. The third thing is surrounding yourself in balance. I’ve seen a lot of leaders lose their balance because they crave attention and they lose touch with what is real. It is important to make sure that, apart from the work you are doing, you have two to three personal, emotional connections that are truly there for you and keep you grounded. I had to work to find and cultivate those connections.
As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?
Diversity is so important because it brings different viewpoints to the table. Each one of us is a derivative of experiences that we have had in our personal and our professional lives, thus bringing different viewpoints. Through those viewpoints, an organization is able to assume risk in a better way and predict successes and failures. Without diversity, an organization ends up becoming narrow minded and thinking in one direction. As a company, you will have to proactively seek the right sourcing strategies to hire diverse employees, and that is what we strive to do as a company.
As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.
It is very important to me to give women a voice in the workplace. At Elevate K-12, we have worked very hard to have policies in place to do just that. One of our key metrics is tracking the percentage of women or primary care givers that continue to work with us after having a baby. As an organization, we want our employees to stay with us regardless so we ensure that they are capable of moving to a part time role. As women, that’s a hard thing that we have to do but we make it easy for them. We do not question their capabilities just because they might need some time off. Being open minded and understanding of your employees adds value to the organization and allows for easy integration into employee lifestyles.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
First, a CEO needs to have a short term, midterm and long term vision for the company. In my opinion, the CEO should really be called the CVO, Chief Visionary Officer. Simon Sinek highlighted this in his book “The Infinite Game” and I can see how it is so important. The CEO’s job is to constantly evaluate the vision and set goals for that vision while continuously evolving and delegating to the right individuals to achieve those goals. My job is to find those leaders, set the goals with them and give them the resources to succeed. I think in a company where the CEO is completely financial, they tend to miss out on other aspects of the business, like market trends, and have to shut down or sell too early. As a CEO you have to focus on the vision and you have to find the right people to execute that vision.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?
Myth number one: women can’t be CEOs. Of the Fortune 500 companies, 8.2% are women and 5% of all CEOs appointed in 2020 were women. That needs to change. The only way that will change is when there is more inclusion, more conversation and we allow women to choose for themselves. These statistics are not because of capabilities, this goes back to domestication. Because we are the child-bearing gender, I believe people will have to adjust and compromise. I remember my dad once told me that if you want to be successful, 99% of that is having a partner who understands your vision of what you want your life to be and what your life needs to have. I believe everyone needs to have a life vision that is beyond “I want a family” — that is a given. There needs to be a purpose that you’re leaving this world a better place, no matter what you do.
Myth number two: A CEO has to sit in a corner office and manage from there. A CEO can and should be inclusive, compassionate and open minded. We are there to steer the company and to make the world a better place and ultimately, the purpose of business is to solve a problem and create a solution. You need to get out of the office and include yourself in a structured way into all stakeholder (customer, employee, vendors and more) dynamics to truly learn and then lead.
I think that is the right mindset, that’s where the myths are decoded. Remember, ultimately, the CEO is also responsible for the financial success of the company but, there needs to be a balance between actual integration with the company and looking at the financial metrics. I believe those are some of the ways that the world is changing and you are likely to see more and more CEOs becoming more inclusive, more open minded, publicly discussing the company and pushing it forward.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
I think one of the challenges is the preconceived notion that if you’re going to be a mother and have a child, your commitment to your work is going to decrease. Traditionally, women are given maternity leave and have a more established role as the primary caretaker. This mindset needs to change. For example, at Elevate K-12, we do not have maternity and paternity leave, we have primary and secondary caregivers. We believe both partners deserve equal time off so they can tackle the responsibility together. I believe there needs to be more conversations and dialogue behind this so the mindset will change. Partners need to have more gender equality in the roles they play at home.
Another challenge is the labeling of women as non-feminine simply because they are making bold decisions. I think men sometimes have the mindset of “Oh, if this woman is bold, she’s not feminine.” That is not true. I believe the world requires all genders, their qualities and skill sets. I continue to be very positive that mindsets are changing because I have seen the change myself and it is very encouraging and I am very optimistic about it.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
As I was scaling the company, I had the bias of a typical CEO. When I thought of the CEO, I thought of someone that dressed a certain way, sat in a corner office, appeared on CNBC and was always looking at financial models. I’ve learned that, for me, it is about driving the energy to my people and my customers. It’s about being inclusive and spending time with all of our stakeholders and advocating for the human element across the organization. The other thing that I realized was how important it is to over communicate. To over communicate the vision, the story and to just be honest. If there is some information that you cannot share, you don’t lie. Be honest and say, “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that.” I have really worked on this. We have weekly huddles with both our Mumbai and our Chicago offices and we have a global All-Hands. In that meeting, anybody can ask me an anonymous question. Since we have started, I have never not answered a question. And some of the questions are very tough. But that’s the level of open communication and transparency that we have worked hard to build in the company and as we continue to scale we will continue to build that open line of communication.
Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
I believe that everybody should aspire to be something that they want to be. Period. Truthfully, not everyone may want an aggressive career and that is okay. If you just want to have kids and be a mom, that is awesome. My theory is: whatever you aspire to be, you give it your best and you do your best. That’s what my parents taught me. If you give 110%, you should sleep well at night knowing that you gave it 110% irrespective of the outcome. Enjoy the process of perpetual learning, hardwork and improvement. Become an infinite learner so that you have the insatiable curiosity of what life can be. If through that someone decides they want to be an executive, then absolutely they can and they should. I suggest talking with other executives who’ve reached that level and understand from them how they got there, and learn about what their daily life looks like. While I do think a part of it is intrinsic, because to be the leader of an organization you need to have some innate skills to lead, there are other skills that you can learn. You will also see a lot of people want to become leaders because they want to have authority. Most amazing leaders don’t become leaders because they want authority, they become leaders because they want change and they want to build other leaders. So, why you’re becoming a CEO is very important. For me, anybody who works for Elevate K-12, I want them to be the best in their career and get to the pinnacle of where they aspire to be. A great leader only drives passion from building up other leaders.
What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?
First is to listen. Second is to constantly evaluate the right person in the right role. Oftentimes you might put someone in one role but then that role requirement changes and then that person can’t do that role anymore or that role has to split or evolve. This doesn’t mean that person is wrong, you just have to shift them into another role. You also have to be able to communicate very, very effectively. That’s very important. You have to be honest and you have to be transparent. These things are not easy to do but are a requirement to continue to lead for change and growth.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I have been very fortunate to work with the K-12 market and cause change here. The way we are making the world a better place is by three approaches. Number one, we are bringing high quality teaching to the zip codes where you can’t find those specific teachers, especially in low income neighborhoods. We are helping those students and those school districts find great teachers that they may not have been able to find. Secondly, teachers who are women, who live in small towns are getting the opportunity to be able to work from home and contribute to society. I think the third way is from my life experiences. If I can help other women carve their own path, I think that will be a massive success for me. Women who have been a part of Elevate K-12, they learn something during their time here, and then go on to do that for other women. And not that we don’t do it for men, I just feel like there’s already a lot available for them. We need to grow actively as women and come together. It is very important to me that anyone who touches the path of my success eventually carves their own success and then touches the path of other people’s success. It’s like paying it forward.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
I believe the first thing is that nothing, in your personal or professional life, is going to be linear. You can move step by step and then a big crater is going to fall on your head. You have to learn to deal with those craters and keep moving. Nothing in life comes without issues and the people who are successful have devised a methodology to deal with the issues and still continue moving without letting it get to their heads. People who let failures get them down, I think they have to proactively recognize that and work with counselors or advisors to learn about failures. Number two is, you have to trust but verify. It’s very important to trust people because if you don’t trust people, life becomes hard. In a professional environment, it’s important to trust but constantly verify. Being less trusting creates a toxic environment, and over-trusting may create failure in your processes. The third thing that I learned was over communication. There is nothing like over communication. When you’re leading from the top it is important to communicate the good and the bad news proactively. The fourth thing I learned was the art of celebrating success, and the fifth is the art of celebrating failure.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I’m very clear on this. I think every person needs to have a methodology of realizing what they are good at, what they are passionate about, and then making their career their passion. So, I think the movement that I would inspire is some level of mechanism at the K-12 level to identify and understand a person’s passionate capabilities and make it their career. Then your career ends up making the world a better place. If you do that, you will never feel like you’re working because you’re loving what you’re doing.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Never give up.
I love taking feedback from our team as the CEO. Traditionally, no one gives the CEO feedback even though most want honest feedback. I don’t want someone to just tell me I’m doing a great job. So, I give my board members a survey every board meeting to give me feedback. What I’ve learned from that is that I have the capacity to take a lot of hits.
Even as a child I had to take a lot, I used to stammer, I had ADHD and I was special needs but I think that survival mechanism of learning to fight for myself, taught me to be fearless.
Number two would be, don’t get bogged down by failures or craters on the road. If you have your eye on a certain prize, something that is your true north, keep an eye on the ball so as to not get bogged down by failure.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Jeff Bezos and Tom Brady. I’ve been a big fan of both of them for different reasons. I’d love to have 9 to 11 with one and 11 to 1 with the other! I want to enter inside their brains and both for very different reasons. Jeff Bezos because of the mindset he has of constantly being obsessed with the customer and constantly moving in the direction of innovation. Normally, companies only succeed for 10 years but Bezos has instilled constant innovation and built that as a systematic approach so that even beyond Bezos, the company continues to innovate. Tom Brady because of the mindset that he has about being competitive, not giving up and bringing a team together. I think both of them have very similar characteristics.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
