Can I Have It All

by Anuranjita Kumar

  Positioning – Place yourself rightly: To maximise the impact, you need to focus on the right people, forums, seminars and networks that help you align with the larger purpose. How you are positioned vis-à-vis your peers impacts how people view you. It is wise to prioritise the key areas (aligned to your needs and messaging), that you need to build your network in, especially since we have limited time in the day to do this. It is important to decide your engagement model – who to engage with and how, needs to be thought through. There are many social networks in the market, pick a few that could work for you and try to cultivate the depth in the same. Internally, I would recommend having connections with seniors within the country or overseas as appropriate. Reach out to them if they don’t know you (how else would they otherwise!) and if they do, deepen that relationship through regular engagements like regular meetings or calls. I find it very effective to reach out to a few seniors when I am dealing with some diverse projects and need some views. That makes people feel included and deepens the connect even further. Skip levels are important to do with seniors when appropriate. Your positioning is key to how people view you externally and internally. Your network, if appropriate, provides you the strength, sponsorship and credibility.

  Reach outs: Once you have the purpose and positioning sorted, you have to focus on channels that you will be using to reach out.

  When I returned to India, I commenced on a recce across Citi locations with my team. During the course of my settling back, I sought feedback about what the team thought we were doing well. Almost the entire team individually spoke to me about many initiatives which they had worked on and that they felt proud of. My next question was which of these processes or initiatives would be sought as best in the market. The answer to this question was less definitive and more confusing. Most people felt they were doing a great job but were unsure of how good it was, relative to the market and that was surprising. I suspected most people did not even know what the market benchmarks were, leave alone if we were better or worse than that. Therein started the journey of the HR team of India to get more connected to the external world as it continued to focus its efforts internally.

  We started to network further with various HR seniors in the market, went to various HR forums, exchanged ideas, and did work pro-bono. We tapped college and school friends in the fraternity and widened the net of HR connectivity. As a team, when we widened our net, we also realised that there were things we were doing well in Citi, and there were some best practices we could learn and leverage from other players in the market. It was a humbling and learning experience. As one participated more and became part of the external network, the more it grew. I got pulled into various initiatives, some even for non-profit and social causes. Citi provided me with a great platform to get into various business-chamber forums like CII, FICCI or ASSOCHAM Easily. Once there,

  one had to leverage the opportunities to make a bigger impact on behalf of Citi. I realised a lot of the groups were hungry for ideas and commitment to lead these ideas into execution. We undertook some of these initiatives that helped the team, the larger HR fraternity and myself. Over a period of time, this was tremendously helpful in how we navigated the external environment. Also, it strengthened our position as an employer with some great HR practices in the market that gave us well-regarded accolades that made the team feel proud and motivated.

  Engagement with appropriate forums build your personal profile too. So long as you don’t deviate from the purpose, it adds to the momentum that takes you further in your career.

  Market interactions…you represent the brand in whatever you do! This is critical to what and how you learn and renew yourself. It is also what you owe to the organisations you work for. Very often, I would reach out to search firms to get feedback about how the bank was doing, how the market was talking about us and any feedback they would have for us. The market is also very perception-driven. The search firms are very helpful channels to feel the pulse of what may be going on out there. You may choose to collect the feedback and then decide to act on what you feel is credible. Share your experience through knowledge forums and conferences with the larger population. The more you give, the more you get back. Many a time, when I was in a speaker forum, I have been accosted by many youngsters who seemed starry-eyed, hungry to learn and raring to go. That energy was infectious and I carried that back to my work. One advice I generally give is that when networking externally, try to broaden yourself beyond your functional or technical expertise to enhance your learning. Often you would be called in to share the expertise, but you also carry the brand with you and hence you should be fully ready to engage in discussion beyond your comfort zone.

  Once I was in an Industry Confederation panel discussion on leadership, with more than six hundred people in the audience. There was an extensive discussion on HR strategies on how to develop the future leadership. The session was opened to the audience for further queries or questions. If there was an award for the recipient of maximum number of not so happy questions, I would have earned it hands down!. It started with one member of the audience getting up and stating that it is all good to talk about leadership but he felt that was insufficient given his recent poor service experience in one of our branches. He demanded an explanation from me as a representative of Citi. Another kinder soul had a credit card issue. The moderator realised that this interaction may not be going in the desired direction and tried interjecting. However, in front of a large audience it was important that I stepped up and answered these questions on behalf of the Bank. I requested the moderator to step back. I pacified those members of the audience by empathising with their issues and assured them of our process of continuous improvement wherein each relationship manager is expected to be a leader in solving customer-service issues. That is the ethos which we encouraged and we may not be perfect, but strive to be! This did satisfy those individuals and we got the discussion back on track. Reflecting back, if I had not answered the question, I would have not only had a more irate client but may have also had an unfinished message of customer-fulfilment promise that Citi holds.

  When you are talking externally, think on your feet and be ready to take any interaction in your stride keeping your authenticity. My experience has been that people bond with honesty! The incidental fallout of all of this is that it builds your profile holistically and keeps you better connected. This will always be helpful if you were to review options in your career journey as well.

  Media is a great platform and it is important to engage with the appropriate agencies on behalf of the organisation. My experience has taught me that right channels, and a genuine, authentic relationship helps here. In the past, we have reached out to the media to make them aware about what we do in Citi and in HR which they were not fully aware of. In such interactions, there was so much that I learnt from them about market practices that I had been able to replicate in Citi. Fortunately, I have had no bad experiences here and have been able to leverage some senior people in the media as sounding boards for thought leadership. The breadth and depth of the feedback has left me impressed. Openness is usually reciprocated.

  Social media is gaining prominence for intercations and communications across various segments of the population. It is a medium which has gained such a high momentum over the last few years that not being a part of it may actually pull one back. Given the viral nature of the medium, it has a tremendous reach that can be leveraged to have your message delivered broadly. Start a blog, tweet regularly, get on Tumblr, Facebook, LinkedIn, the list is endless. Working in companies like ours, these engagements have to be treated with caution as very often you do not just represent yourself but also the company brand you work for. Win-win is to focus on topics and trends that help the company and also the message that one wants to disseminate. I have been a beneficiary of a lot of knowledge from following various people and networks on these sites. Tumblr was a revelation to me about how teenagers work and think today, their likes
and dislikes. Given most people on Tumblr do not operate with their real names, they tend to be more forthcoming about their views. Blogging is very helpful to gain perspective on certain thoughts and also for sharing your ideas. I find that people on social media, are usually willing, appreciative, critical and encouraging at the same time. My challenge sometimes has been dealing with issues on social media that are generic and company-related and people start to treat me as a spokesperson for the company, which I am, but may not always be authorised to respond to them.

  Alumni networks: When I came back to India, business was faced with a lot of change that led to a lot of uncertainty. To get a sense of the past events and present perceptions, I reached out to the alumni network to understand what was going on in the market and how they saw us from an external perspective. All of them were very welcoming and encouraged me on the road ahead. Most of them connected almost immediately and it felt like meeting family members of a larger group. The language, the ethos, time together – these bonds had stood the test of time. We had a lot in common, which could never be taken away, irrespective of where we worked then. I believe people may move on from the organisation but they continue to identify themselves in someways with the brand. There is collegial glue which keeps the alumni together. Alumni networks can be very strong proponents and partners, according to my experience. During these interactions, I gathered feedback, thoughts and understood their views on a range of subjects, sought their advice about various topics and they helped me with ideas to strengthen the message and the brand across sectors and the industry. It is a special group for me and I am sure that I will always stay in touch with them.

  Speaker Forums are great to network and also very helpful for disseminating your message. Media has a broader impact, However, forums helped up provide the depth of our messages within a certain community. Chairing a few forums, being a part of thought leadership, building through speaker series or exchange of ideas through panel discussions are a great way to reach out to the external world with your message. I have truly enjoyed this and have tried to share and exchange my thoughts in the most earnest way.

  Perspective and community building: As I gained from all the interactions in forums, media and alumni, I decided to also give back to the fraternity and the industry at large. It was about being useful and supportive to others in the same way as someone had helped me. I started mentoring a few upcoming, talented individuals in various universities, engaged in pro-bono coaching of people outside my organisation. We also worked on various summits to create some knowledge platforms for younger talent who could learn and leverage the experience and learnings of others. I worked on some research papers with the campuses and did sessions with students. Also, I undertook some CSR work with my team to contribute to society at large. I spent time with an NGO for children. These experiences made me truly humble and I realised how privileged one had been when I witnessed the real agony of the parents and understood how the lovely, innocent smiles of such lively, suffering children gave those parents the courage to face everything. Any education, skill, and moral support that we could provide to the family was extremely fulfilling. Across all these activities, the more we gave, the more one got back in terms of learning about life. Contributing towards building perspectives and knowledge of others, truly moulded me up to be a better human being, thereby making me a better professional.

  Finally, building a profile is about making your statement and communicating with the larger environment about who you are and what you stand for. This helps to establish your relationships with a larger community beyond your immediate work. Given the multiple priorities faced at senior levels, most women tend to be more consumed at work or home and seem to miss giving this aspect of their leadership journey due importance. The ones who do gain from the outcome of this investment can vouch for its magic. As I engaged with the above activities, I missed having more women in forums or networks. Some who were there were very good at keeping the connection going after the initial meetings which was tremendously helpful in deepening the relationship for the future. I really respect them for the continuous efforts and have embedded that in my own efforts towards building relationships. These women also became a great support for women networks and community in due course of time.

  SUMMARY

  Having the right connects makes all the difference in creating the bigger picture and then adding colour to it. Mitch Albom has rightly said, ‘There are no random acts…We are all connected… You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind…’

  – There are various milestones that you need to cross to establish an identity that is you. This is done by defining your leadership brand that defines you and making that known. This needs to be aligned to your purpose, values and the bigger picture that you have painted for yourself.

  – Networking or building connections is critical for a variety of reasons: you need friends who understand you and can be a pillar of support in times of difficulty. You need mentors who value you and can be a source of guidance in times of ambiguity, you need seniors and leaders who see potential in your work, purpose and can help you reach out to a wider audience. You need to remain relevant in the ever-changing work context.

  – Leverage media, forums, social media and alumni. In fact, with the world becoming smaller with an ever-increasing focus on social media, the speed and extent of your connections with the right people greatly influences the speed of your success.

  – Women often underplay these connects due to hesitation to reach out or pressure of familial responsibilities. However, with some effort, planning, prioritisation and effective management, they can build these connects. Remaining honest to the relationship is the cardinal rule to the success of any relationship.

  Your network is your safety trampoline that will never let you fall and even if you do, it bounces you right back with force!

  7 COLLABORATION,

  PARTNERSHIP AND…

  COMPETITION

  extend your hand to get someone else’s

  COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP AND…COMPETITION

  ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much’

  – Helen Keller

  Collaboration fosters a spirit of common purpose. In this spirit, people work together to realise common goals. To have collective success at work, our efforts need be focused on contributing towards one another’s success by giving each other the required support. Partnership with key individuals and fostering these relationships is a part of a successful career journey. Women need to actively solicit this support and proactively engage with key players and not be passive, waiting for help to come by. In my experience, men can often be great mentors and can support women to navigate the workplace.

  Any career journey cannot be traversed alone. Each one of us needs the help of our ecosystem to thrive and succeed. It is essential for us to keep nurturing this ecosystem. Along my journey, I have realised the tremendous value of this ecosystem, without which it would not have been possible to cover the distance that I have, professionally or personally. Right behaviours and attitudes are essential. At various points in time, one relied on various stakeholders, managers, peers, teams and partners to provide one with a spectrum of support: assistance on the job, guidance, direction, someone to share personal responsibilities with or simply a listening ear.

  A LOT DEPENDS ON YOUR BEHAVIOURS AND ATTITUDE

  ‘You have to accept that you will never be good enough for some people, no matter how hard you try. Now whether that is going to be their problem or yours is up to you’ – Bryant Mcgill

  This quote is very close to my heart. It will help you too, to decide your reactions to certain people depending on how vested you are in them. Your value does not change because of someone’s ability or inability to see your worth. In my career journey there have been highs and lows, successes and failures. However, my will to continue on the path was primarily driven by how I view
ed these events.

  One of my key mantras has been to keep an optimistic and hopeful attitude no matter which problem pulls me down, at home or work, and there have been plenty of them! I might have had my moments, but I have learnt to bounce back in minutes, hours or a few days. Earlier, I attempted to do everything well, to the point of perfection, which in reality was impossible. This used to lead to frustration that would make me negative and pessimistic at times. Then, it would be a downhill journey from thereon, impacting my disposition at work and home. Gradually, I started to reconcile to the fact that I could manage only so much and sometimes some things would go wrong and that was okay. However, in the long run, I believed that it would work out. That instilled in me hope, and a positive attitude that infused much-needed energy to deal with issues constructively. A positive and realistic attitude is imperative for you to set the right tone with your professional and personal relationships. It also helped me be less emotive and personal with issues, reducing the negative intensity in general. When I was undergoing transition coaching and I received 360-degree feedback, and my first reaction was of denial of the not so positive aspects of the feedback. My coach pushed me to get more objective in order to deal with what was needed for appropriate action planning results.

  Most women deal with multiple stresses and multi-task all the time between personal and professional priorities – an optimistic outlook defines how you will respond to problems faced along the way.

  Our behaviour is fundamental to how people experience us, understand us and collaborate with us. At each progressive rung of the ladder we require different behaviours and responses to situations. Earlier in our career, when most of us are managing ourselves, focused on goals or the task at hand, our priority is mostly delivery of work. As we season and become senior, we start focusing on a blend of getting the work done through a team while managing the leadership team above us in the pyramid. If successful, we finally transition to being a senior leader managing a franchise or a function. In my experience, these crossroads or transitions are understood intellectually but executing the change in behaviour is not always as easy. Change in management style with team and peers is critical.