Lean In | LevelUp Session 3 — Crafting a Successful Career
It was a sunny Saturday morning 9:30AM and we, a group of women met to Lean In. Sharing a glimpse of the day filled with lot learning, meeting successful leaders & networking.
I opened the floor with my pitch that introduced 2 important terms : “Lean In” and “Lean Back”.
What is Lean In? Lean In is a community that Connects, Collaborate, Contribute, & Celebrate. The power of the community to rise equity & equality. Preethi Guruswamy beautifully describes Lean in as;
Lean In to support
Lean In to motivate
Lean In to have a conversation
Lean In to find the invisible friend!
Does this mean, leaning back is bad? No!
Leaning back is extremely important. Sometimes you need to lean back to pause & reflect. By doing this you would give yourself the permission to slowdown and strategize. Leaning back gives you clarity to make your next move. Through this session, we were leaning in to create a strong support environment.
My message to all the women out there — “Let’s root for each other!”. That’s the big support we can help each other with!
After the session kick-off, we started the day with Fireside chat with Devi Anantharaman & @Aarti Kelshikar
Devi Anantharaman is an accomplished Engineering leader specializing in Product development. Known for fostering a culture of high performance & Innovation. She is highly passionate about customer experience. Beyond her engineering role, Devi actively contributes towards various initiatives as a core member of women’s group. Her commitment to diversity & empowerment within tech industry is truly displayed by her work.
It was an honor to host @Aarti Kelshikar who is an intercultural coach & author. She is the founder of 3A consulting. She has been working in the space of leadership & cultural effectiveness. Through her cultural interventions, Aarti enables executives & students to successfully transition role, levels & geographies. She is the author of “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤: 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚”. This book talks about how women leaders are perceived and evaluated in Asia, how they balance their personal and professional lives, how they deal with cultural barriers and biases, & how they fit in and stand out in their workplaces and societies. Her first book “How India Works: Making Sense of a Complex Corporate Culture” is a guide to the cultural nuances & complexities of working with Indians.
My key takeaway from this fireside chat was understanding : Cultural quotient & how women leaders face challenges that are influenced by culture & social factors.
With this fire side chat, the momentum was set high! The day went on and we moved towards a very interesting part of the session — the panel discussion moderated by Preethi Guruswamy. Panel included;
Shylaja Sabbani — Vice President of Engineering, SAP SuccessFactors
Aruna C. — Sr Partner Solutions Architect, Microsoft India
Shweta Kaushik Sinha — Director of Products, Zeta Suite
This panel had a great deal to offer. They talked about how it is important for women leaders to rise, how important it is for us to ask what we deserve, grab the opportunity, break the stereotypes, & help other women in the ecosystem to rise & grow.
My takeaways from the panel discussion includes : The importance of delegation, building your strong network, how mentoring can be effective, significance of effective communication & emphasis on thought leadership.
I truly admired the power panel who shared great insights & stories.
It was a power packed day!
The day came to an end with a networking session and it was a great exchange of thoughts!
